Milestones
by GuardianDragon98
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on the newest member of the Fiersome family: Elias II Stoick Fiersome. FEEL THE FLUFF!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! I've decided that, along with Frozen Fire, I shall make my first collection of HTTYD one-shots. And this collection…focuses on the cutest and newest addition to the Fiersome family: Elias II Stoick Fiersome!**

**Slightly bad news though…The transcript for Gem of a Different Color on the HTTYD Wiki is incomplete so my next update to Riders and Defenders of Berk might take a while. Sorry :(**

**In the meantime, I hope this makes up for that.**

**Note: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

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**Milestones**

**Lullaby (Newborn)**

"WAAAAAAAAHH!"

Stryka groaned and covered her ears, desperate to block out the cries coming from the nursery of Zenna's baby brother. "Sorry, girl, but this is something we're gonna have to put up with until El's a big boy, which will take a few years," Zenna yawned as she got out of bed. Stryka gave a disgruntled rumble as if she was saying, '_Had I known that the hatchling would do this at an ungodly hour, I would've wished that it had stayed in your mother's womb_.'

"Oh, come on, Stryka. El's not doing this to annoy us. He probably just needs something," Zenna chided her one-eyed dragoness before leaving her room. Not surprisingly Zenna found her parents, Henna and Edgar, in El's nursery. The youngest member of the Fiersome family was crying up a storm, his little face scrunched up and all red as he let out another piercing wail. Serpent and Serpentine, Edgar and Henna's Hideous Zippleback, was peering through the nursery's window and cooing at the baby boy to try calm him down.

"No diaper to change…He's not hungry…What on earth could be bothering him…?" Edgar muttered, worried about his son. "He probably wants some attention, love," Henna said softly, rocking her son in her arms but failing to soothe him. "Waaah! Waaaahh! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Elias II Stoick Fiersome wailed, hiccupping on his own tears.

Zenna quietly crept into the nursery, her parents noticing her moments later. "El's having another one of his night fits again?" Zenna asked softly. "It's the third time this week…" Henna sighed as El let out another piercing cry. "If this keeps up, your mother and I are officially going to be sleep-deprived," Edgar yawned. "Technically, you two already are," Zenna pointed out, noticing their eye bags.

Most of the time, Henna and Edgar preferred to take care of El themselves because they didn't want to trouble Zenna that much, their daughter now an adult and well on her way to living her own life. But Zenna knew that her parents weren't as young as they used to be when she and Elias, her older brother, were little and would always insist on helping take care of El.

When El let out another scream, Zenna had an idea.

"Hey, Mom, can you give him to me? I might have an idea on how to calm him down…" Zenna suggested politely. Without protest, Henna handed El to Zenna. Little El's loud wails instantly ceased and turned into small whimpers the moment he was in his big sister's arms. Smiling gently, Zenna rocked her baby brother back and forth as she began to sing…

_**Have no fear, my dear…**_

_**For I am right here…**_

_**Close your eyes and sleep…**_

_**Dream and do not weep…**_

As if by magic, El stopped sniffling and looked up at his big sister with curious violet eyes.

_**In my arms, you're safe and warm…**_

_**I'll protect you from all harm…**_

_**Have no fear, my dear…**_

_**For I am right here…**_

Zenna softly sang the last few verses and smiled lovingly at her baby brother. With a sleepy coo, El snuggled into his big sister and closed his eyes. Serpent and Serpentine warbled in amazement as the little tyke fell asleep just seconds after Zenna had finished her lullaby.

"Thor's beard, well, that was quick!" Edgar chuckled. "_Shhh…!_" Henna shushed her husband and smiled lovingly at her daughter. Zenna smiled as she cradled her precious baby brother in her arms. El let out a soft coo in his sleep and snuggled into Zenna's bosom.

"Thanks, Hicc…" Zenna whispered to herself, remembering how Hiccup would sing to her the lullaby he made for her when Elias had died.

Then the door creaked open and Stryka poked her head into the nursery. The one-eyed Night Fury let out a confused gurgle. "The crisis has been averted, girl. See?" Zenna chirped as she showed Stryka her sleeping baby brother. Stryka let out a relieved sigh and ducked her head out of the room, intent on catching up on her beauty sleep. "Goodnight, Ms. Grouchy," Zenna giggled and refocused her gaze on El. Her little brother looked so cute sleeping, so peaceful and content.

"Well now, I guess it's time we put him back to bed," Henna said softly and expectantly held out her arms. To Edgar's amusement, Zenna pouted and held El closer to her chest. "Nooo…" Zenna whined, imitating a little girl who wouldn't give up her favorite doll. "I think our little girl wants to be the big sister here and look after our little boy, love," Edgar chuckled. Zenna nodded. "You and Dad deserve a break, Mom. I'll keep an eye on El till morning-_literally_," Zenna said, pointing to her one eye and then to El.

Sighing, Henna shrugged and conceded. "Alright, Zenna love. Just don't tire yourself out," she said gently before she and Edgar left for bed.

Smiling and humming her lullaby, Zenna gently placed El back in his cradle. El stirred in his sleep, as if sensing that his big sister wasn't holding him anymore. Luckily, Zenna gently rocked the cradle which soothed him. Zenna felt her heart swell with love.

No matter what happened in her life, no matter how busy she was with her responsibilities as the Dragon Doctor of Berk…she will always be there for her baby brother, like their big brother Elias had always done when she was the little sibling.

Then and there, as she watched her precious baby brother sleep, Zenna vowed that she would be the best big sister ever.

"_**Have no fear, my dear…For I am right here…**_" Zenna sang softly, little El peacefully smiling in his sleep. Then, with utmost care, Zenna pressed her lips to El's forehead and whispered, "_I love you, El. Sweet dreams, baby brother…_"

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**My one shots will be based on El's development. There might be a few time lapses. In the meantime, read and review!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	2. Chapter 2

**This one is all about Stryka bonding with the little Fiersome hatchling. Enjoy!**

**Note: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

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**Dragons Make Good Babysitters ( 1 Month )**

'_This is rather enjoyable…_' Stryka the one-eyed Night Fury, beloved mate to the Alpha and Queen of All Dragons, thought as she helped one-month-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome roll onto his tummy.

Henna and Edgar, along with Serpent and Serpentine, had gone out to help Hiccup on some Chief-related matters, Toothless was currently learning the basics of dragon sovereign etiquette from Cloudjumper and Zenna was busy working at the Dragon Clinic. Already adept in her new status as the Dragon Queen and responsible enough to be on her own in the house for a few hours, Stryka had been tasked by her Rider with the most important task of looking after the little Fiersome hatchling for a few hours.

Stryka had already gotten used to the little one and now loved him as much as she loved Zenna, but it was quite lonely for her as she was on her own in taking care of the baby. Luckily Zenna had already taken care of the basic needs of feeding El and changing his diaper along with her parents. All she had to do now was to keep El entertained, out of trouble and, hopefully, put him to sleep.

Elias II Stoick Fiersome currently babbled and gurgled in his infantile language as he gingerly lifted his head to look at the one-eyed, black dragoness who was currently crouching at a distance of around eight or ten inches away from him. Stryka let out a warble, which El's finely-tuned ears picked up, making the baby boy gurgle happy gurgles. He had long been familiar with his big sister Zenna's dragon friend and he always loved it whenever she would press her snout to his tummy and gently blow warm air from her nostrils.

In fact, Stryka went over to the little one and did just that. Gently she blew out a warm puff of air out of her nose. El smiled a gummy smile and grasped at her snout with his little starfish hands. Stryka felt her whole heart melt with maternal affection. True, this human hatchling is not a dragon hatchling but he is the hatchling of her dear Rider's parents. And she would make sure that he would be safe and protected for as long as she lived.

They were on the plush bear rug in the Fiersome house's living room and a variety of toys lay scattered about on the floor. Picking up a baby rattle in her mouth, Stryka shook it and El squealed with delight at the sounds the rattle made. Next, Stryka covered her one eye in order to play peek-a-boo with him. And El's bright violet eyes just lit up with wonder and curiosity at that, especially when he tried covering his eyes himself and saw that he could only see black. After that little game, Stryka pushed towards him a wooden sheep on wheels and delighted in El's baby pleasure of pushing it back towards her.

'_I could do this all day…_' Stryka thought with amusement as she and El played away.

Suddenly a loud '_bang!_' was heard from outside, making El slightly turn his head towards the closed door. A confused coo came out of his tiny mouth as he looked at Stryka. The one-eyed dragoness narrowed her eye as she cautiously pushed open the door with her snout. Peering outside, Stryka saw that the source of the noise was just a slight construction mishap in one of the neighbors' houses.

El's gurgles caught Stryka's attention and she looked to see the little tyke eyeing the open door, curiously putting his hands to his mouth. '_I know I probably shouldn't…but El deserves to see outside…I hope Zenna won't mind…_' Stryka thought as she carefully picked up El by the back of his tunic. El let out a small whine as he was lifted up and brought outside. Once again, his violet eyes lit up upon seeing the wonders of outside.

Outside, Vikings and dragons were doing their regular day-to-day tasks. Houses were being fixed, bread was being baked, dragons were eating their fill of fish from the feeding stations and there were all sorts of dragons flying about, some even having Riders!

El let out a happy squeal as he tried to take in all the sights, sounds and smells. The outside was a wonderful place! Stryka crooned affectionately as she helped prop the baby boy upright so he could see more. This went on for a few minutes until El grew sleepy. His tiny mouth forming a little 'O' as he yawned, Elias II Stoick Fiersome snuggled into Stryka's warm scales and fell asleep.

'_Every little one must rest…_' Stryka thought fondly as she carried El back inside and curled up around the baby boy. El let out a small gurgle in his sleep as his thumb found its way into his mouth. Stryka cooed at how adorable he was before realizing that she was rather sleepy herself.

'_Have a good nap, little one…_' she thought before closing her eye and drifting off to sleep.

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"You guys need to see this…" Zenna Fiersome called her parents and their Hideous Zippleback over. Henna, Edgar and Serpent and Serpentine both peered into the living room (_Serpent and Serpentine peering in through a window_) to see Stryka protectively curled around Elias II Stoick Fiersome as they both napped.

Serpent and Serpentine cooed, knowing well that the Dragon Queen was a good mother figure to young dragons and Viking children alike. The Zippleback should know, for Stryka herself had taken care of them when it had been abandoned on Snoggletog five years ago.

"Aw, how sweet…" Henna sighed softly as her little baby boy snuggled closer to Stryka, cooing adorably in his sleep. Edgar gently nudged Zenna and smiled. "Who would have thought that dragons could make good babysitters?" he chuckled. "I did," Zenna smiled as she lovingly gazed at her two precious ones nap.

It was safe to say that the Fiersomes had found a perfect dragon babysitter for El.

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**I'll be making more El and dragon interactions in the future. Until then, read and review!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's a specially funny addition to Milestones to celebrate Easter :)**

**Happy Easter, everyone!**

**Get ready to LOL in this one-shot. I had sooo much fun writing this :D**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD, HTTYD 2, THE CARTOON SERIES OR THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE.**

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**Do Not Disturb ( Two Months Old )**

"YAAAAH!" Snotlout yelled as he charged, sword drawn, at Fishlegs who also unleashed a war cry of his own as his special Gronckle Iron sword (_the one Gobber gave him in "The Iron Gronckle"_) clashed with Snotlout's.

It was just another afternoon in the Berk Dragon Training Academy. The student Riders had already left for the day so the adult Dragon Riders were free to use the Academy's arena for combat training while their dragons enjoyed a well-deserved break to freely roam the village.

Snotlout and Fishlegs were practicing their sword fighting in one corner, Ruffnut and Tuffnut bashed shields with each other in another, while Hiccup and Eret practiced with Astrid in axe throwing in the very center of the arena. Only one Rider wasn't practicing, because she wasn't there.

"Any idea when Zenna's joining us?" Eret grunted as he heaved his axe at the target set up in front of him a couple of meters away, the blade sinking into the wood just a couple of inches shy from the bull's eye. "She said she'll be here," Astrid replied as she scored a direct hit on her target. "The question is '_when_'," Hiccup added as he lifted up his axe, nearly stumbling backwards due to its unbalanced weight.

As if on cue, Zenna Fiersome, the Dragon Doctor, the one-eyed Valkyrie (_one of her lesser known titles_), entered the arena. But her normally proud and confident strut was gone, replaced with a careful and quiet walk as she kept her head down, focusing on a swaddled bundle in her arms which she carried with utmost care.

"Hey, Zen!" Tuffnut greeted her cheerfully, lifting up his shield in time to block his sister's. "Shush!" Zenna held a finger to her lips and gave the male Thorston a scolding look. That got everyone's attention and they all stopped training to look at the Dragon Doctor in confusion.

Zenna quickly looked down at the bundle in her arms for a brief second before looking at her friends. "I'm cool with us combat training, but can we keep the noise down to a minimum?" she asked quietly. "Why?" Ruffnut asked. In response, Zenna carefully lifted a corner of the cloth bundle. "_Aaaaaaawww_…" the Riders all gushed upon seeing little Elias II Stoick Fiersome, Zenna's two-month-old baby brother, snuggled in Zenna's arms, fast asleep.

"Mom and Dad are catching up on some much-needed sleep at the house and I want to let them be on their own without hovering over El all the time, so I took him out of the house. Just be as quiet as you guys can. It's his naptime," Zenna said in a hushed tone, gently rocking her baby brother in her arms. "We'll be as quiet as mice…Right, guys?" Hiccup whispered to the others, who all nodded. And at that moment, Snotlout accidentally dropped his sword!

"Shhhh…!" the others hissed as El suddenly shifted in his sleep. Luckily Zenna soothed him and he stayed asleep while Snotlout hastily retrieved his weapon. "You know what? I only trust two people here who can keep quiet enough to train with me," Zenna sighed, giving Hiccup and Eret expectant looks. "Two against one? Zen, that hardly seems fair for you," Hiccup said uncertainly. "Oh, trust me, Chief. You do _not _want to face Zenna alone in combat. I've learned that far too many times for my own good," Eret told him. Zenna smiled, glad to see that Eret still remembered her as one of the toughest fighters in the South, and then looked to her other friends.

"I cannot believe I am doing this…" she finally muttered, going over to Snotlout and carefully handing him El. "Uh, Zenna? Are you sure you want _him _to be holding El?" Fishlegs asked nervously. Snotlout puffed up his chest indignantly. "What, you think I can't take care of a baby? They practically _love _me," he said haughtily. "Says the one who scared Gustav's little sister with his '_Oi! Oi! Oi!_' battle cry last week," Astrid said snidely, making the others snicker.

"I'm letting Snotlout hold El because, theoretically, maybe he can learn something about being a responsible individual," Zenna deadpanned as she prepared to engage Hiccup and Eret in hand-to-hand combat. "Hey, I'm plenty responsible," Snotlout said quietly, so as not to wake El. "_Since when?_" Hiccup, Eret, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut all asked him.

Snotlout chose not to answer and quietly sat down in a corner while the others watched Zenna easily block Hiccup and Eret's strikes with her own blows, taking the two down at the same time in a grand display of grappling moves.

Meanwhile Snotlout had just looked up to see Zenna put Eret in a chokehold, the 25-year-old former dragon trapper wheezing in a panic as the 21-year-old Fiersome lady held her position for an agonizingly long three seconds before releasing him in order to catch Hiccup in an arm lock when he tried to pull a sneak attack on her.

"Ha! Those two are getting whipped!" Snotlout guffawed. Suddenly a tiny gurgle came from the little bundle of blankets he was holding, making the Jorgenson Viking look down into a pair of very violet and very _open _eyes.

Elias II Stoick Fiersome had awoken.

"Uh…hi?" Snotlout said, giving the now awake baby boy a sheepish half-smile and a slight wave. El just stared at Snotlout with wide eyes. '_Please don't cry, please don't cry…Please do not cry…_' Snotlout thought worriedly, knowing that he would receive a painful punishment from Zenna if El suddenly started wailing. But El didn't shed a single tear. What he did was worse.

The two-month-old Fiersome baby was annoyed at having been woken up from his nap and even more irritated when he saw that the person holding him was _not _his big sister Zenna. "Grrrllll…" El made a gurgling noise and his eyebrows creased into a baby glare that nearly made Snotlout wet his pants. The poor Jorgenson man stiffened up in terror as the little baby glared at him with fury.

In fact, Snotlout was so freaked out that he didn't even notice the stares from Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs as they momentarily forgot about the sparring session happening to look at him and El.

"He looks like a statue," Tuffnut observed. "A very _terrified _one," Ruffnut giggled. Fishlegs went over to Snotlout and waved a hand in front of his face, a feeble plea for help being his response. "I woke him up by accident…" Snotlout whispered through clenched teeth, unable to tear his eyes away from the angry baby currently staring at him. "Snotlout, if he cries…" Fishlegs began to say before looking down and freezing up as well. El now locked his gaze on the Ingerman Viking, his violet eyes laced with annoyance.

Why were these two here? And where was his big sister Zenna?

"Oh Thor…" Fishlegs squeaked, now unable to move himself. By this time, Tuffnut had joined them and was now getting eyeballed by El as well.

"Whoa, that's so creepy…He looks like Elias but his glare…it's just like his and Zen's combined…" the male Thorston breathed out, now frozen in terror as well. Astrid and Ruffnut both laughed and went over to the three young men.

"You guys are scared of _El_?" Ruffnut asked, shaking her head in both amusement and disbelief. "_Yes_…" Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut both said quietly, no longer raising their voices as it seemed to them that El would strike them dead if they so much as made another peep. "Guys, he's a baby. Not a bomb," Astrid giggled.

But when she and Ruffnut both peered at El, they, too, froze.

How could they have not seen beyond the cute, round, chubby cheeks to notice that little Elias II Stoick Fiersome was just as fierce and intimidating as his older siblings? His face seemed to be like a copy of his older brother Elias' while his gleaming, intelligent violet eyes could have only come from his older sister. But the baby's current face, which exhibited the annoyance of a little one being disturbed and rudely awoken from his nap, had the glare that matched the two siblings' fearsome look perfectly. And Elias and Zenna's glares were _legendary _in Berk. Many a Viking, be it Outcast or Berserker, had frozen in fear and had been cowed into petrified submission with just one scathing look from the two Fiersome siblings. Zenna's one-eyed glare, in particular, had been said to have made a man soil his pants at one time and made the poor soul weep in terror.

El's glare wasn't quite _that _terrifying just yet…but, right now, it was scary enough to make the small group of brave Viking warriors huddled around him stiffen up like statues.

"When is he going to stop glaring…?" Ruffnut whispered, barely moving her mouth. "I. Don't. Know. Sis…" Tuffnut replied his knees shaking as El glared at them all, his lips set into a deep frown. "I can't move…" Fishlegs whimpered. "Neither can I…" Snotlout gulped, feeling that he was being the one punished the most since _he _was holding the baby. El clenched his tiny fists to his chest, his deep violet eyes scanning his petrified audience with irritation.

Where…was…his…big…sister?

His frown only deepened when he received no answer and when his big sister Zenna didn't cross into his field of vision, which made the five Vikings watching him freak out even more.

Oblivious to their friends' discomfort, Zenna, Hiccup and Eret exchanged blows. "Remember when I was the smallest fighter in my division, Eret? I still managed to take down all the others," Zenna laughed as she pinned her boyfriend and Hiccup to the ground. "How can I forget…? You took down every single one of them - including _me!_" Eret gasped out as his face was pushed into the ground. "From this angle she's currently holding us in, I don't have a hard time believing you…!" Hiccup grunted as he, too, was forced to make out with the ground.

That's when Zenna noticed that the arena had gone quiet…_too quiet_.

When she released Eret and Hiccup (_who were both relieved and sore from training_), Zenna noticed that Astrid, Fishlegs and the Twins were huddled around Snotlout, all five of them wearing terrified looks on each of their faces.

"What's with the faces?" Zenna cocked her head to the side. "Shhh…!" all five Vikings hissed before freezing up again. El's unhappy gurgles reached Hiccup's ears and he quirked his eyebrows. "Are you guys scaring El?" he asked sternly. "Quite the opposite, Chief," Fishlegs said in a low voice. "_He's _scaring _us_!" Ruffnut whimpered. "Please help us get rid of the little terror!" Tuffnut begged the three.

Eret, Hiccup and Zenna could only look at their five terrified friends, confused.

"Dude, El's giving us the _Fiersome Glare_ and it's scaring the shi-" Snotlout began to say before Zenna gave him a look that clearly said, '_You swear in front of my brother, I will kill you_,' and clammed up.

"Shields…El's scaring the shields right out of us…" Snotlout then said hastily. "El's just a little baby. How can he be so terrifying?" Eret asked in disbelief.

Snotlout hastily handed El over to Astrid. The blonde Hofferson maiden instantly froze, her arms becoming a makeshift baby cradle, as the little Fiersome terror locked eyes with her. El still didn't like the face he was currently looking at and made gurgling noises that, when compared to, best resembled an angry dragon's warning growl.

Hiccup could hardly believe that his Milady, who never scared easily, could cower with fright in the mere presence of his two-month-old nephew.

"Help. Me…" Astrid squeaked, her face pale and sky blue eyes wide with fright. Zenna covered her mouth to block out a laugh while Hiccup and Eret didn't bother to hold back their snickers. "Do my ears deceive me? The brave Astrid Hofferson is scared of a two-month-old infant?" Eret chuckled, his brown eyes glinting with amusement. "Sure looks like it," Hiccup smiled slightly. Astrid felt her face turn red and scowled at the two gentlemen. "Well, let's see how _you two _like being glared at by him!" she then promptly pushed El forward towards Hiccup and Eret.

Zenna smiled to herself while Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins gasped in horror as the two men were now face-to-face with the little terror. El's glare was terrifying for them. Would Hiccup and Eret also cower into submission at the baby's petrifying gaze?

The answer?

_**No.**_

The instant El saw his Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret his stern face broke out into a wide gummy grin as he let out a high pitched happy squeal and waved his chubby little arms at the two!

"What?!" Astrid nearly shrieked in shock as Hiccup took El off her hands. "What…?" Snotlout asked, mouth dropping open. "Is…?" Fishlegs squeaked. "Going…?" Tuffnut could only stare, dumbstruck. "On…?" Ruffnut finished, shocked, as Hiccup cooed and made funny faces at El who just gurgled happy gurgles.

Zenna giggled at her other friends' disbelief. Didn't they know that, aside from her, Stryka and her Mom and Dad, El's favorite people in the whole world were Hiccup and Eret?

El's face was devoid of the annoyance he had been feeling earlier with his three other uncles and two aunties and was now a face of pure innocence and childish joy as his Uncle Hiccup bounced him in his arms, making him laugh cute, baby laughs. "Why were you scaring your aunties and uncles, buddy? Did they wake you from your nap?" Hiccup asked him, his nasally voice a little higher in the spirit of cute baby talk as El made a pouty face and bobbed his head up and down. "Aw, they _did_ wake you? That wasn't very nice of them," Hiccup imitated El's pouty face and the little baby cooed and patted his cheeks with his pudgy hands.

"Hey, Chief, don't hog him all to yourself," With a quick motion, Eret scooped El up into his arms. El shrieked with delight as his big sister Zenna's boyfriend held him up high over his head. "They called you a little terror, little El? You sure don't look like one to me!" Eret chuckled as El waved his little arms and legs like a dragon.

Zenna laughed at how the two, usually serious, men could instantly turn into doting uncles in just a few seconds before noticing her other friends' shocked faces. "Haha, looks like you all got played by my brother," the one-eyed Fiersome lady smiled at them. Astrid grabbed the sides of her head in frustration. "We don't understand, Zen! El was practically scaring us to death! How can he be so…_playful with those two?!_" Snotlout exclaimed, wildly gesturing to Hiccup and Eret who were both playing with El.

"Remember the day El was born?" Zenna asked her friends. "Yes," the Twins said in unison. "And do you all remember who were the first three people, aside from my parents, to hold him?" Zenna asked them. Realization dawned on Fishlegs and he said, "You…Eret…and Hiccup,"

"Correct!" Zenna smiled. "So you're saying that the reason why El hates us but likes them…" Astrid then pointed to Hiccup and Eret, who were still busy playing with the giggling two-month-old infant. "Is because we never really held him on his first day of life?" Astrid asked, eyes wide. "In some ways, I suppose so…But I think the more accurate reason why my brother's hating on you five right now…was because you all disturbed him while he was taking a nap," Zenna shrugged lightly.

"That, and he just like me and Eret more!" Hiccup laughed as El gurgled and cooed at him and the former dragon trapper. "I believe we have acquired bragging rights for this, Chief," Eret laughed. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut all glared at the two men in annoyance.

El noticed the dirty looks his other aunties and uncles were giving his Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret and his face scrunched up into another glare, which made them all gulp in terror, while Hiccup and Eret both had smug smirks on their faces.

'_Little terror, indeed…_' Zenna thought, her one violet eye sparkling in amusement.

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**Read and go crazy with the reviews ;) Happy Easter!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	4. Chapter 4

**I've been wanting to do something like this…Hope you all like it :)**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

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**First Fever ( Three Months Old )**

Zenna's face was creased with worry as El fussed in her arms, crying feebly as the fever raged through his tiny body. Henna and Edgar were visibly distraught as they tended to their ailing baby boy. Edgar soaked rags in cold water while Henna, with Stryka's help, heated water in the soapstone cauldron to brew a remedy Gothi had prescribed to them.

El whimpered and squirmed in the little portable nest of blankets and furs. Serpent and Serpentine both peered through the window of the Fiersome house and cooed comfortingly to him. "There, there, El…We'll have you healed up in no time…" Edgar murmured soothingly as he gently pressed one cool rag to El's fever-red skin. Henna finished making the brew and poured it into a bowl.

Zenna sighed and looked out the window. The day was a rainy one and not a Viking or dragon was out in the downpour. And the cold wasn't doing any good for El, who trembled despite the heavy heat of his fever.

When Henna tried to give him a bit of the brew, El cried out and looked up at his big sister Zenna with wide, terrified eyes. "I know you don't like the look of that icky medicine, sweetie…But it'll make you feel better so you need to take it…" the one-eyed Fiersome lady said soothingly. Taking his older sister's word for it, El let his mother give him the green brew. The little boy forced himself to swallow but puckered his lips in disgust. The brew mostly consisted of herbs and some spices, flavored with honey to make it tolerable enough to swallow, and had a horribly bitter taste.

"That's my brave little one…We'll have you all better in no time…" Henna said softly. El then yawned, beginning to feel tired. "I'll take him upstairs so he can sleep. My room's warmer," Zenna offered. Henna and Edgar nodded and Stryka followed her Rider up to her room.

In Zenna's room it was a lot warmer so it was more comfortable for El to sleep there. But as Zenna was about to place El on her bed, her little brother waved his chubby little arms at the shield portrait of Zenna and her family. Zenna followed El's violet eyes and noticed that he was looking at Elias…their big brother.

The one-eyed Dragon Doctor smiled sadly as she remembered her dear big brother…whom El would never meet until the time came for him to go into Valhalla…

"Would you like to hear a story, El? A story about that brave boy on the painting?" Zenna whispered. El cooed softly, indicating that he was listening.

"It wasn't so long ago when I met that brave boy…I was only a little baby, just like you, when I met him. He was the most amazing and most loving person in the whole world. That brave boy was always there to protect me. Whenever I was scared, he was the first to comfort me. If I felt like I was too different for the world, he inspired me to embrace being different. And you know what, El? That brave boy was best friends with me and Uncle Hiccup. He always had a lot of fun ideas for us to try…and he even inspired us to question about the previously bad relationship we Vikings had with the dragons. Back when Uncle Hiccup and I were little, we thought dragons were bad guys. But the brave boy thought different…"

Zenna suddenly felt choked up and paused for a little while to stop herself from crying. Then she continued her story.

"Unfortunately…that brave boy died early. He was killed in a dragon raid before he got a chance to see if Vikings and Dragons could become friends. Uncle Hiccup and I were so sad that he was gone. But, over time, we moved on because we knew that the brave boy wouldn't want us to be sad forever. And Uncle Hiccup and I did it. We proved that Vikings and Dragons can become friends for him. And even if he's no longer on this earth, that brave boy is in Valhalla and always looking after all of us. I've been visited by him in my dreams a lot of times…and he always tells me that he's proud of us and happy to see us happy…"

At this point, Zenna let her tears flow down her cheeks and they dropped onto the blankets and furs swaddling El. The little baby boy gurgled unhappily and reached out a warm hand to try brush the tears off his big sister Zenna's face.

"You know who that brave boy is, Elias II Stoick Fiersome?" Zenna asked softly, bringing her baby brother closer to the painting. El gurgled and cooed, reaching out to touch the painted boy next to his big sister on the shield. "That brave boy's name…was _Elias Fiersome_. Our big brother," Zenna told him as she brought El's face to hers. El's infant brain was surprisingly fine-tuned for his age and he understood.

He now knew why he was called Elias II. It's because he had a big brother who had also been named Elias. His big brother was Elias the First while _he _was Elias the Second. And the reason why his big sister Zenna was crying now was because she missed big brother Elias. El couldn't quite understand why his big brother was gone, but he knew that his passing made Zenna sad.

El cooed and patted Zenna's face with his little hands and smiled a weak gummy smile. Zenna smiled gently and softly kissed El's forehead. "Let's get you all ready for bed," she said softly as she gently placed El on her bed, adjusting the blankets and furs to keep him cozy. Yawning El fell asleep with Stryka curled around him to keep him from getting cold.

Zenna sighed and looked at her family's shield portrait. She made a mental note to have Bucket paint her family a new portrait that had little El with them and their dragons. But she made sure to remember to keep Elias in the picture. She knew her older brother would want that.

'_Oh, Eli…I wish you were here…_' Zenna thought before a soft voice from behind her suddenly spoke.

"_But I __**am **__here, Zen…_"

Startled, Zenna spun around to see the ghost of her big brother kneeling right next to El. Stryka had also fallen asleep and was oblivious to the ghost next to her. Zenna stared at Elias with wide eye until she dared to speak.

"E-Eli…?" she squeaked out, just as her parents came upstairs. Henna covered her mouth with both hands to keep herself from screaming while Edgar's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Hi, Mom. Hey, Dad," Elias smiled as he looked at his sleeping baby brother. "Odin's ghost…what's going on here…?" Edgar muttered, completely confused. "El was feeling bad so I came here to check on him. I think he'll be fine by tomorrow," Elias shrugged lightly and smiled lovingly at the sleeping baby boy. "Elias…Elias is that really you…?" Henna whispered, reaching out to touch her son only for her hand to go right through him. "Yeah, Mom, it's me…" Elias said softly. Zenna got over her initial shock and went to her older brother.

"He's amazing, Zen…I love him so much…" Elias whispered, tears trickling down his ghostly face. "Eli, why are you crying?" Zenna asked softly. "I just wish that I hadn't left so soon…I could help you three raise him…" Elias said, crying a little. "That's what your mother and I wish sometime, too, son…" Edgar sighed as Henna began to cry a little herself. Zenna smiled as she watched El sleep.

"You're doing a great job protecting him…" she reassured him. "Hey, that's what big brothers do," Elias finally laughed, quieting as El shifted in his sleep. "And I'll keep on protecting him…and you guys as well…" Elias said as his form began to disappear. Tenderly brushing a misty hand over El's forehead, Elias smiled at his big sister and his parents.

"I gotta go…" he said softly. "Goodbye, love, we'll see each other again soon," "Take care, Elias, my boy. Give our regards to the gods," Henna and Edgar bade their son goodbye. Zenna smiled at her big brother. "I love you, Eli…" she whispered. "I love you, too, little sister," And with those words, Elias Fiersome disappeared.

The next day, El was completely better. And, judging by how he always cooed happily whenever he saw his big brother Elias' portrait, Zenna had a feeling that Eli had something to do with their little brother's speedy recovery.

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**Read and review whenever u want ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! Another addition to Elias II Stoick Fiersome's Milestones. This time it has the pain-loving Twins. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING AND ALL RIGHTS TO THE ENTIRE DRAGONS FRANCHISE GO TO ITS RESPECTIVE OWNERS**

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**Tug-of-War With the Twins (Four Months Old)**

Elias II Stoick Fiersome cooed and grabbed at Zenna's fingers. "Grabby little guy, aren't you?" Zenna Fiersome giggled as her baby brother brought her index finger to his little mouth. It was another bright sunny day on the island of Berk and the two siblings were soaking in the sunshine. El then released Zenna's finger and babbled adorably at his parents as they came with baskets of fish for Stryka and Serpent and Serpentine. "Glorious day today, isn't it, loves?" Henna smiled, El gurgling happily in agreement.

"Hellooooooo!" "Hey, Zeeeeenn!"

"Ah, here come the Twins…up to your usual shenanigans again?" Edgar chuckled as Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston arrived with their Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch. "Not today, Mr. Fiersome," Ruffnut said politely. "We're here to connect with El," Tuffnut informed Zenna who looked at him and Ruffnut with amusement.

The Twins merely smiled and brought their faces closer to El. "Hey, widdle guy!" Ruffnut cooed. El merely stared at her with a bored, placid look on his chubby face. "Out of the way, Bride of Grendel, it's obvious he needs more macho companionship!" Tuffnut shoved his sister out of the way and got all up in El's face. "Hey, 'sup, little dude?" he grinned. Once again, El just stared at him.

Henna and Edgar chuckled in amusement as they fed the dragons. "Well, on the bright side, at least he's not glaring at you anymore," Zenna laughed, seeing the Twins' disappointed faces and remembering the incident last month. "What do we need to do to get El to like us?" Ruffnut groaned, flicking her braids in frustration. "If we have to bow down and worship him, I'm willing to do anything," Tuffnut said, pulling at his dreadlocks.

That's when El's violet eyes widened.

His Auntie Ruff and Uncle Tuff both had long hair…_really _long hair…Hair as yellow as corn silk and woven into intricate braids…So long, so well-braided…

So…_tug-worthy_.

Grabbing the closest braid he could get his little hands on (_which was unfortunately Ruffnut's_), Elias II Stoick Fiersome yanked…_hard_.

"Oooooowww!" Ruffnut shrieked at the sudden tug and tried to pull her hair back away from El, who merely giggled and pulled harder! "No! Bad baby! This is not a toy! Youch!" Ruffnut yelped as she unknowingly began to play tug-of-war with Zenna's baby brother. And the one-eyed Dragon Doctor made no move to stop the little tyke. Truth be told, she was _enjoying _the sight of her baby brother sitting on her lap and playing with Ruffnut's hair.

El giggled and pulled at Ruffnut's braid again. "Ow! My hair! Tuff, don't just stand there! Help me!" the female Thorston cried out to her twin brother. "I dunno…Looks like you got it all under control," Tuffnut snickered. Growling, Ruffnut managed to tear her braid away from El's grasp and shoved Tuffnut into the toddler's line of sight. El brightened up at the sight of his Uncle Tuff's dreadlocks and squealed with delight as he pulled at several of them.

"Huh…It's painful but I like it!" Tuffnut laughed, wincing a little, and began another round of tug-of-war with El. The little baby boy gamely pulled and Tuffnut gamely pulled back. Finally Ruffnut saw that she and her brother had finally come up with a way for El to like them.

"Hey, come on! Let me play with him!" she said, offering her other braid to El, who laughed a cute little laugh, and the game restarted with renewed vigor.

Zenna was now laughing with El as he played alternating rounds of tug-of-war with the Thorston Twins. "Let's just hope El doesn't pull the hair right off of their heads," Edgar laughed heartily. "Well, if he does, love then El will have some new playthings," Henna laughed as they watched the spectacle.

By the end of the morning, both Ruffnut and Tuffnut's scalps were aching from all of El's incessant tugging. But for the two of them…the pain was all worth it.

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**My update to Riders and Defenders of Berk will be coming along within this weekend. In the meantime, how about we have a vote on what one-shot I should write next for Milestones? Voting ends on Friday (based on Philippine time).**

**A. El plays Hide-and-Seek with his big sister Zenna and Stryka**

**B. Hiccup babysits El for the day**

**C. Eret babysits El for the day**

**D. BOTH Hiccup and Eret babysit El for the day**

**E. Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout have to babysit El for the day…which ends in mass chaos for the five of them**

**Just tell me in the reviews which one you want or even offer me suggestions. I'd love to hear them from you :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's Friday night here in the Philippines and I've recorded the votes. Surprise, surprise, I got one vote for each choice!**

**So, as a result, I'm going to be doing every one-shot :)**

**Here is the first, as requested by movielover48 ;)**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING (Except for my OC's)**

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**Hide – and – Seek (Five Months Old)**

"_One…Two…Three…Four…Five…_"

Little Elias II Stoick Fiersome giggled and covered himself with his favorite purple blanky while his big sister, Zenna Fiersome, counted from one to ten. They were playing Hide – and – Seek, his second favorite game with the Number One being Dragon Rider.

"Hmmm…now where, oh, where has my baby brother gone…?" Zenna smiled as she looked around her house's front yard. Stryka, Zenna's draconian sister, warbled and gently plucked the blanky off of El. The little baby boy giggled as Zenna beamed. "Found you!" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor said triumphantly as she picked up El and bumped noses with him. El gurgled happily and patted Zenna's cheeks with his pudgy, little hands. "Okay, El, now it's your turn. Cover your eyes while I count to ten. When I'm done counting, you try to find me," Zenna told him, grinning.

El clapped his hands, eager to do the seeking this time. Once Zenna set him back down on the grass, El covered his eyes.

"One…Two…Three…Four…" Zenna counted as she quickly dove behind Stryka, who was right next to El. Stryka rolled her eye and moved a bit, exposing Zenna's feet as she continued counting, oblivious to the fact that her dragon had given away her hiding place already.

"…Five…Six…Seven…Eight…Nine…Ten! Okay, El! Come and find me!"

At his sister's go call, El uncovered his eyes. Stryka smiled toothlessly and got up. "Hey, Stryka! No fair!" Zenna laughed as her hiding place was revealed. El giggled and pointed a chubby finger at his big sister. "Aw, you found me! Good job, El!" Zenna giggled.

Then El looked at Stryka, then back at Zenna, and cooed. "Looks like someone wants to play '_Dragon Rider_' again," Zenna smiled at Stryka, who noticeably cringed. She knew that the one-eyed, female Night Fury hated it whenever El pulled on her ear flaps when they played the game!

Quick as the Night Fury she was Stryka ran off, shrieking in fright. El let out a confused gurgle, sucking on his thumb. Laughing, Zenna scooped El up into her arms.

"I'm gonna teach you how to play another game, El. This game is a little something I like to call…_Dragon Chasing_," the one-eyed Fiersome lady said, smiling.

With El in her arms, Zenna ran after Stryka. El laughed in delight as he enjoyed this new game. Playing with his big sister Zenna and Stryka is so much fun!

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**Feel free to read and review. The next addition to Milestones shall be posted tomorrow :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	7. Chapter 7

**Another one-shot for Milestones. This time it's the one Ilusa voted on. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

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**Visitors (Six Months Old)**

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is good in many things. He is an inventor, the best Dragon Trainer and Dragon Rider in the whole Barbaric Archipelago as well as Chief of Berk, a title he was now comfortable with and beginning to grow into. But what most people outside of Berk didn't know was that he was also a caring man, a supportive friend, a great lover, a protective brother…and a doting uncle.

The 20-year-old Viking Chief looked down at the sweet baby boy sitting on his lap, his emerald green eyes soft and compassionate, gazing into the tyke's deep violet eyes. Toothless, Hiccup's draconian brother and Alpha of Berk's dragons, was curled up around his Rider and was also looking at the babbling baby boy with soft eyes. The baby, Elias II Stoick Fiersome, babbled and gurgled happily as Hiccup gently brushed his thumb against his soft round cheeks. "You're a good little boy, El…And you'll be good for me and Toothless while your parents and big sister are on their little trip, okay?" Hiccup said softly as he brought the toddler's face close to his. El giggled and grabbed his Uncle Hiccup's nose with his little hands. "I'll take that as a yes," Hiccup laughed, his nasally voice more nasally than ever due to his nose being pinched.

Toothless cooed at the baby boy and nudged his snout into El's tummy. The little one squealed and patted the Night Fury's snout with his pudgy starfish hands.

It was a lazy afternoon in Berk and Zenna, El's big sister and Hiccup's surrogate sibling, had gone on a short trip with her parents and their dragons and they wouldn't be back until nightfall. So, Zenna had entrusted Hiccup with taking care of El until she returned. The Dragon Doctor had given the Chief a list of El's daily schedule (_which included his feeding time, naptime and playtime_) along with diapers, drinking horns full of Henna's breast milk that would need to be heated before El could drink and several soft rags to both clean up after El and in case his first tooth suddenly sprouted and he needed to teeth. Truth be told, the Fiersomes had been anticipating El's first tooth ever since he turned four months old. But, so far, the little guy hadn't gotten his first white cap yet.

Hiccup smiled and gently kissed El's soft black head. "Uncle Hiccup loves you so much, buddy…I'm sure your big brother Eli and grand uncle Stoick love you too," he whispered, fondly remembering his father, Stoick the Vast, the man whom El shared his second name with. El babbled and cooed as his Uncle Hiccup bounced him in his lap. Toothless warbled and nuzzled the little Fiersome hatchling.

Suddenly Gobber the Belch, Berk's blacksmith and Dragon Dentist, burst into the door, looking slightly winded. "Um, Chief, we have a little problem," Gobber said, sheepish. "Did the Twins blow something up again?" Hiccup sighed, El still on his lap. "Eh, not that. The Chief of the Bashem Oiks…the Chief who was planning to come visit next week…is here," Gobber reported. Toothless let out a disgruntled growl, never really one for seeing visitors from other tribes. Hiccup inhaled deeply and let his breath out in a long whistle. He had been expecting the Bashem Oiks but not today.

El let out a confused gurgle and blinked his sweet violet eyes up at his Uncle Hiccup. He was no genius, but he could tell that his Uncle Hiccup had a problem.

"Tell Chief Bashguts (_yeah, I am terrible at making up names for Viking chieftains_) I'll be there in a few minutes," Hiccup said finally. Gobber then looked at El and gave the young man a questioning look. "I can double-task, don't worry," Hiccup told him as he placed El in the little space between Toothless' front paws and went to the hearth of the Fiersome home.

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The chief of the Bashem Oiks Tribe, Chief Bashguts the Basher, was one of the many chieftains who had a healthy dose of fear when it came to facing the newly-appointed '_Dragon Chief_' of Berk. Not only due to the fact that Chief Hiccup always had his loyal Night Fury, who always turned aggressive at the first sign of a threat to the Chief, at his side but also that Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had quite a commanding presence about him, even though he was only a somewhat gangly youth. Many a chief has been intimidated by the young Chief's piercing green gaze and have been wowed by his diplomacy and charisma.

It was safe to say that Chief Bashguts, along with his fellow Bashem Oiks, was rather nervous when the doors to the Great Hall opened and the Dragon Chief entered along with his Night Fury. But one look at the young Chief cradling a baby close to his chest while tilting a drinking horn to its mouth, and the submissive gazes the Bashem Oiks had had turned into mildly surprised stares.

"Alright, let's get this started, shall we?" Hiccup said diplomatically as he took his place at the front of the stone circle, where a gold dragon statue hung directly above, and looked at Chief Bashguts. The Bashem Oiks chief cleared his throat. "Well, Chief Hiccup, we Bashem Oiks were hoping to request permission to let some of the young members of the tribe stay here on Berk for training," he said carefully. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him. "Training, you say?" he asked curiously, momentarily breaking eye contact to look at El who was holding the drinking horn as he silently sucked with his eyes closed.

Chief Bashguts couldn't help but smile a bit when he saw the Dragon Chief grin crookedly at the little infant but quickly made his face neutral when Hiccup looked at him again. "Aye, you see, we don't have enough teachers for the youth in the art of combat. Most of our soldiers are already old, past their prime, and are not fit enough to train the young ones. We all agreed that we could send some of our younger soldiers here to learn new fighting techniques. We've heard that the Berkians are one the strongest fighters in the land, with or without the dragons," he said, sounding hopeful.

Hiccup shifted his arms a bit, not bothering El, and looked down at the floor thoughtfully. Then he saw El retract his mouth from the drinking horn. The baby boy smacked his lips and cooed. That's when Hiccup saw the faint gleam of a pearly white tooth in El's lower gums!

"Could you excuse me for a second?" Hiccup requested politely. Chief Bashguts looked at the infant in the Chief's arms, fussing a bit now that he had his first tooth, and smiled warmly. "Take your time, Chief," he said kindly. Giving Bashguts a grateful smile, Hiccup carried El over to Toothless. The fussy baby boy gurgled unhappily and pointed a pudgy finger to his mouth.

"I know, El. But don't worry about that. It's your first tooth! A little pain is commonplace when you get your first one," Hiccup told him gently as he placed El in front of Toothless and then gave the little one a rag. "Here, chew on this so it doesn't hurt too much," he said softly. El clutched at the rag and brought it to his mouth. His fussing stopped once he was successfully teething. Toothless warbled and curled up around El to keep him warm. "Take care of him for a little bit, okay, bud?" Hiccup asked his best dragon friend, smiling. Toothless smiled a gummy smile and nodded, focusing his gaze on El.

Going back to the meeting, Hiccup went back into serious mode. "I will allow you to send some of your men to the island for training," he agreed before fixing a stern gaze on Bashguts and the Bashem Oiks. "But if any of them do anything untoward to my people and the dragons, first report of any of them committing assault, rape, theft or violence, they will be punished accordingly and sent back to your island. Do I make myself clear?" he said, his emerald green eyes glinting with authority and protectiveness. Almost all of the Bashem Oiks visibly cowered at Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's steely gaze. Even Chief Bashguts looked terrified as he stammered out, "C-c-crystal clear, Chief H-Hiccup…"

And with that, Gobber said, "Meeting adjourned!" and it was done.

Toothless saw Hiccup approach Bashguts and promptly cooed at El. The six-month-old baby stopped teething on the rag, which was now covered in spit, and gurgled. That was Toothless' go signal to pick the toddler up by the back of his tunic and carry him over to Hiccup. Making sure that his teeth were only partly unsheathed, Toothless grabbed El and slowly walked on all fours over to his Rider who was shaking hands with the chief of the Bashem Oiks.

"Mr. Bashguts and his Bashem Oiks friends are going, El. Say bye-bye," Hiccup cooed to his little nephew. El looked at Chief Bashguts and giggled, waving his little hands up at him. "Is he your…?" Chief Bashguts began to ask before Hiccup politely cut in. "Nah, he's my nephew. I'm just taking care of him for Zenna. She's El's big sister," the 20-year-old Chief said casually.

That made Bashguts and the Bashem Oiks look at El and Hiccup in surprise.

They were all familiar with Zenna Fiersome, the Dragon Doctor of Berk and the bonded sister of Chief Hiccup. And they also knew about the one-eyed Valkyrie's fearsome temper. For them, it was astonishing to learn that the sweet little baby boy currently giggling in the Dragon Chief's arms was related to the fearsome Fiersome lady.

But now they knew and, like any visitor to Berk who had met Elias II Stoick Fiersome, instantly fell for his adorable charms.

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**I was first calling this First Tooth since El pretty much gets his first pearly white here but I decided to change the name since it mostly focused on Hiccup and Toothless taking care of him while they had a visiting tribe.**

**Yes, I made Hiccup a badass Chief here. You're welcome ;)**

**Anyways, read and review. (Nods to El who babbles adorably at you)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! GD98 here with another update to Milestones. This time it's the third option in my vote off last week. There's also an OC character who has a connection to a certain dragon trapper. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do NOT own HTTYD, HTTYD 2, or the TV series. Basically, I DO NOT OWN THE DRAGONS FRANCHISE.**

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**Uncle Eret's Friend (Seven Months Old)**

"_Porridge bomb! Duck and cover!_"

Eret, Son of Eret, had just entered the Fiersome house when he was suddenly tackled to the ground by his girlfriend. One-eyed Zenna Fiersome got to the ex-dragon trapper just in time as a huge glob of gooey porridge splattered onto a nearby wall. A little dazed, Eret sat up along with Zenna and noticed that the young Fiersome woman's face was speckled with dried oat porridge. Even her eye patch had a splatter of the stuff.

A frustrated gurgle directed Eret's attention to seven-month-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome trying to shovel porridge into his mouth. But the little one's locomotive skills hadn't fully developed yet and, whenever he managed to get his little spoon filled with oats, he couldn't properly maneuver his food into his mouth so most of it ended up either on the floor, the walls…or on the faces of his family.

Eret chuckled as Zenna took a small towel out of her pocket to wipe her face clean. In the meantime, El was whining and gurgling unhappily as he made another failed attempt to eat on his own, the spoon eventually slipping out of his hand and clattering onto the floor. "He insists on feeding himself…Stubborn lad, he is," Edgar chuckled as Henna got another spoon and tried to feed El herself only for the baby boy to fuss and try grabbing the spoon from her. "Now, see here, young man, if this charade keeps up then there will be no porridge left," Henna chided as she tried to keep her son from grabbing the spoon.

Zenna shook her head in amusement as she watched El make a frantic grab for the spoon. "Honestly, he just wants to do things on his own so fast…I kind of wish he'd stay dependent for a little while longer…I'd really want to keep babying him until he can no longer be babied…" she said wistfully. "Well, Zenna, he's going to grow up eventually," Eret pointed out before El began to wail as his Mama refused to give him the spoon. "Oh for Thor's sake…" Henna said exasperatedly while Edgar sighed and proceeded to try clean up some of the mess El made. It was not going to be an easy task. There were gobs of porridge everywhere!

Eret then walked up to her. "Mind if I try feeding him, Mrs. Fiersome?" the former dragon trapper asked politely. Henna looked at El for a moment and then sighed. "Alright, Eret, you can try. I am honestly out of ideas…" she said, handing Eret the spoon. Holding the spoonful of porridge in his hand, Eret brought his face closer to El. The baby boy ceased his wailing and looked at his Uncle Eret with big, teary violet eyes. "Hey, El…I know you want to try eating on your own but you're making a bit of a mess. So, I'm going to feed you now and don't try grabbing the spoon from me, okay?" Eret said slowly and softly. El sniffled and nodded. Without resistance, he allowed his Uncle Eret to feed him. Zenna felt her heart melt as she and her parents watched. El eagerly ate every mouthful of porridge Eret fed him, the young man smiling gently as he stopped every now and then to clean off little blobs of porridge that dribbled down the toddler's chin. A few minutes later, there was only one spoonful left in the bowl. That's when Eret let El hold the spoon and, with a gentle but firm grip on the baby's wrist, helped him bring the food into his mouth.

El let out a happy squeal, realizing that he had finally successfully eaten a spoonful of porridge while holding the spoon! "That's a good start, El. Soon you'll be able to eat on your own. It's all in the wrist," Eret grinned, guiding El into flicking his wrist. El giggled and smiled, showing his full set of baby teeth.

Henna sighed gratefully and proceeded to burp El and change his diaper. "Operation: Feed the Baby is complete! Now…onto Operation: Clean Big Oatmeal Disaster..." Zenna said, looking around the house. True enough, El's insistence on feeding himself had resulted in the whole Fiersome family kitchen being covered in sticky oatmeal. Stryka, Zenna's one-eyed Night Fury, and Medic, Zenna's lavender Terrible Terror, were now inside the house and assisting Edgar in cleaning up by licking the oatmeal splattered floor. "How much oatmeal do your parents feed you and El every day?" Eret asked, now noticing that El's empty oatmeal bowl was bigger than any bowl he had ever seen. "A lot. And El practically eats it by the bucketful. I think he got Dad's appetite," Zenna replied. "Are you calling me a pig, love?" Edgar asked, pretending to be hurt. "Of course not, Dad. I'm just saying that you and El have really big appetites," Zenna giggled. "Like dragons…" Eret mumbled under his breath, slightly amused. "What was that, lad?" Edgar slightly glared at the former dragon trapper. "Nothing…" Eret mumbled quickly, making Zenna laugh.

Henna then finished tending to El and looked at the sheer amount of oatmeal that had splattered all over the kitchen. "This is going to take all three of us and our dragons to clean up. It'll take an hour or two at least…but I can't leave El unattended to…Oh, what to do…?" she sighed. Zenna then looked at Eret, got an idea, and grinned. "Hey, Mom, why don't we let Eret babysit El while we're doing clean-up?" she suggested. "_What? Me?_" Eret asked, stunned. El giggled and cooed in his Mama's arms, delighted at the prospect of his Uncle Eret taking care of him for a little while.

Henna looked at Eret hopefully. "Eret, dear, would it be alright with you if we leave El in your care for a little bit?" she asked. Eret saw that there was no getting out of this new job and nodded. "Perfect! Okay, sweetie, Uncle Eret's gonna take care of you for a bit while me, Mama and Papa clean up, okay?" Zenna said sweetly to her baby brother. El babbled and patted Zenna's cheeks with his pudgy hands. Henna then gently handed El over to Eret. The former dragon trapper held El carefully so as not to drop him. But El was completely relaxed in his arms and cooed happily.

"Well…I…we should get going…" Eret said awkwardly. "Just a minute…" Edgar then went over to his son and covered his ears before looking at Eret, his eyes boring right into the young man's skull. "If anything happens to my son under your watch Eret, Son of Eret, I will skin you alive. You got that?" Edgar warned him. "Edgar!" Henna said, horrified, while Zenna sighed and shook her head. Eret gulped, knowing how serious Zenna's father was when it came to warnings. "Y-yes, sir…" he stuttered. Edgar nodded and then uncovered El's ears, his son gurgling in confusion when he saw that his Uncle Eret's face had turned pale. "Alright, off you two go! Zenna will come and fetch El when we're done," Edgar smiled, gently kissing El's forehead, and sent the two away.

Eret went outside and found Skullcrusher eating fish with Serpent and Serpentine, Henna and Edgar's Hideous Zippleback. The Rumblehorn, who had originally belonged to the late Chief Stoick the Vast, looked at his Rider and the little baby in his arms and warbled curiously. "Sorry, Skull. It looks like we're not going flying for the next two hours, I guess," Eret shrugged. El then giggled and reached up his little hands to touch Eret's chin, liking the man's tribal tattoos. The former dragon trapper smiled softly at the little one. "Okay, little warrior, what do you wanna do?" he asked. El thoughtfully put his hands to his head before looking at the docks. Seeing the big Viking long ships with colorful sails, El cooed and pointed excitedly at them. Eret followed El's pointing and saw the boats anchored at the docks, his own ship being one of them.

"You want to go to the docks and watch the boats?" he inquired curiously. El smiled and nodded. Eret smiled and cradled the baby close to his chest. "Come on, Skullcrusher. We're going to the docks," Eret told his Rumblehorn. Skullcrusher crooned and followed his Rider to the docks.

* * *

Men were busy hoisting nets aboard some boats while others returned to the docks with a fresh catch of fish. But even with the rush of activity, the villagers milling about the docks slowed down a bit to marvel at the adorable sight of little Elias II Stoick Fiersome sitting on Eret's lap while babbling happily as he pointed at the ships, his violet eyes wide and bright. Skullcrusher rumbled happily as he plopped down next to the two to nap in the sun. El then noticed Eret's ship and squealed excitedly, wanting to go aboard. "I don't know, El…You're not big enough to start sailing on the high seas…" Eret said, a bit hesitant. El pouted at him, giving the former dragon trapper the one thing he was powerless against – _the puppy dog face._

"Oh no…No…El, I beg you…don't…!" Eret pleaded as El kept on pouting and the tyke's violet eyes widened to begging size, which means that his eyes were now twice their normal size. Finally Eret groaned, "Fine, you win…" and picked the little one up. Skullcrusher woke up from his nap and saw Eret stand up. Obedient as ever, the Rumblehorn waddled behind Eret as he carried El over to his ship. "But we're only going aboard the ship, El. No sailing yet," Eret told the baby boy gently. El shrugged slightly and smiled, agreeing to his Uncle Eret's terms.

When Eret got to his ship he saw that his crew was there, along with an old man wearing an old blue coat and fur hat, doing maintenance. El giggled to get the crew's attention. "Aw, look who's here?" Ug cooed, the first to notice Eret carrying the little baby. "Hello there, little El," Teeny greeted the seven-month-old baby. "Looking after him for your Lady Zenna, Eret?" another member of the crew asked. "Just for a few hours," Eret replied, smiling a bit. That's when the old man stood up from his seat and walked over to the former dragon trapper. "Bless my soul…Is that you, Eret, Son of Eret?" the old man, who had one blind eye, asked with a grin. Eret looked at the man curiously…and instantly recognized him.

"_Canute!_" Eret said in amazement, recognizing his old dragon trapping mentor. Canute laughed and patted Eret's shoulder. "It's been so many moons since I last saw you and your crew. Out of the dragon trapping business, I see," he said. "What are you doing here? And more importantly, how'd you get the Berkians to accept you onto shore?" Eret asked, wondering if his teacher was still working as a trapper. Canute smiled a bit. "Once I heard the news of Drago's defeat by the Dragon Chief and the Dragon Doctor, my crew and I disbanded. We were all tired of working for that madman, to be honest. My crew went back to their families while I decided to take up the trading business. I'm just here for supplies and rest," he explained.

That's when El cooed, directing Canute's attention to him. "Is this your kid?" Canute asked, stooping down to see eye-to-eye with El. Upon seeing Canute's one blind eye, El whimpered and buried his face in the crook of Eret's shoulder. Eret smiled gently and coaxed El, "He's an old friend of mine, El. Don't be afraid. He's very nice,"

El dared to be brave and looked at Canute as unflinchingly as he could. "Sorry about that, laddie. Here we are…" Canute chuckled as he took out an eye patch and covered his blind eye. "There we go. I don't look so terrifying now, do I?" the old man asked jokingly. El giggled and reached for the eye patch. Canute chuckled again and looked at Eret. "Look at you: a Dragon Rider and a family man," he commented. Skullcrusher warbled and let Canute pet him. "A Dragon Rider I am, Canute. But I'm not a family man," Eret laughed before his crew added, "_Yet!_" making him shake his head in amusement.

"Ah, babysitting for a friend…" Canute nodded understandingly before noticing El's bright violet eyes. "Violet eyes…how unique," the old man remarked before looking at Eret curiously. "Didn't you once tell me that you had a lady friend with violet eyes?" he asked with a knowing smile. Eret blushed a bit and nodded. "Yeah…El's her little brother," he said with a shy smile.

"I was having a chat with your crew. Sounds to me that you've all had quite an adventure for the past few months," Canute remarked. Eret nodded before El babbled at him. "Alright, El, this here is our ship. We had quite a lot of crazy adventures onboard back when we were trapping dragons back then right, lads?" Eret said, giving El a tour of the ship and looked to his crew. "Right you are!" "Sure did!" his crew said in agreement. El squealed with delight as El brought him up to the front and he stood on the edge with his Uncle Eret holding him up. "When you're old enough and your parents allow you to, El, I'll let you go sailing with me," Eret grinned at the baby boy who clapped his hands in delight.

Canute couldn't help but smile. He had known Eret when he was 16 and needed a few pointers in dragon trapping. Even back then, he saw that Eret was a kind soul and never turned a blind eye to a child in need. They rarely met any kids on their dragon trapping exploits, though, but that didn't stop Canute from seeing the good in the lad. And he knew what Eret had gone through and cared about him as if he were his own son. It made Canute very happy to see that Eret was now free and had a good home.

"There you two are! I've been looking for you boys everywhere!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Zenna heading on deck. El smiled and waved his little arms at his big sister. "We finally got all of that oatmeal cleaned up. What with a hungry Terror, a hungry Night Fury and an even hungrier Zippleback willingly helping us out, we got the job done quicker than expected," Zenna said breathlessly, indicating that she hadn't taken Stryka to get to the docks and had pretty much gone running the whole way. "Well that's good news," Eret smiled and carefully passed El to her. El looked up at his big sister Zenna and smiled. "I missed you too, my brave dragon trainer. Were you a good boy for your Uncle Eret?" Zenna cooed to him. El giggled and patted Zenna's face with his hands. "Oh, El was a really good boy. I think he also wants to go sailing when he's a bit older, Zen," Eret smiled. Zenna smiled and affectionately bumped noses with El. "We'll ask Mama and Papa for permission first before we go sailing with Uncle Eret okay, El?" she asked gently, her baby brother gurgling happily in response.

Then Zenna noticed Canute standing next to Eret. "Oh, friend of yours?" she asked curiously. "Pleasure to meet you, lass," Canute greeted the Dragon Doctor, tipping his hat politely. "Zenna, this is Canute. He was my mentor when I was a dragon trapper," Eret introduced his old teacher to his girlfriend. Zenna raised an eyebrow at Canute, slightly suspicious. "No need to worry, lass. Like Eret here, I'm out of the trapping business and now in the trading business," Canute reassured her. "And, Canute, this is Zenna…" Eret managed to say before his crew yelled, "_His lady friend!_"

"Don't you lot have anything better to do?" Eret asked loudly, slightly annoyed. His crew merely chuckled and went back to work. Canute smiled warmly at Zenna. "Ah, so you're the fair maiden Eret told me about. I can see why. You are quite a beauty, Lady Zenna," he said and gently kissed Zenna's hand. The one-eyed Fiersome woman blushed and smiled shyly. "Whoa there, Canute, remember she's taken," Eret said jokingly. Zenna noticed Canute's eye patch and smiled. "A fellow one-eye, huh?" she remarked. "Aye, blind in one eye. A blessing I still have the one," Canute nodded, lifting his eye patch to reveal his blind eye. "Blind in one eye…I had to have mine taken out," Zenna sighed, lifting her eye patch to reveal the scar from where her right eye had been taken out.

El then babbled and swung his chubby legs back and forth, eager to go do something. "Oh, looks like El wants to go somewhere else. I'll leave you two men to do some catching up," Zenna then walked over to Eret and kissed his cheek. "Love you," Zenna winked at the former dragon trapper. "Love you forever, Zen," Eret smiled and kissed her back, making Canute smile fondly.

"I'll see you later, little warrior," Eret playfully tousled El's raven locks. El giggled and waved bye-bye as Zenna took him away.

"I must say, El was a quite a delightful little one. And the way you showed him your ship and spoke so kindly to him, it shows that you'd make a good father, Eret," Canute complimented his old student. "Maybe…I haven't even thought of proposing yet…Zenna and I have a lot of catching up to do…" Eret shrugged. "Alright, now I'm interested. What exactly happened to you these past few years?" Canute inquired.

* * *

Eret, his crew and Canute stayed on board the ship the entire day, Skullcrusher snoozing peacefully on deck as Eret told his old mentor of how he had met Valka, the great Bewilderbeast, Chief Hiccup, reuniting with Zenna and how he had helped the Berkians defeat Drago Bludvist and his Dark Bewilderbeast. He spoke of the hard times during his first two months on Berk, being ostracized by the villagers due to his shady past, the depression he had found himself stuck in and how Zenna and everybody else helped him put himself back together. Eret's crew also regaled Canute of their crazy escapades when they were still trapping dragons, ending their tale with how Eret was kidnapped and they were left without a leader for a few days until he and Zenna came back and rescued them before they were attacked by wild Seashockers. And Canute, in return, told them all of what had happened to him when he heard of Drago's defeat.

Eret even asked Canute if he would like a tour of Berk, his old teacher gladly accepting the invitation. The old man was amazed at Skullcrusher's strength when he and Eret rode him around the island. Eret even managed to get Hiccup and the whole gang together at the Dragon Training Academy so Canute could meet them. He slightly regretted that decision when Canute began telling them stories of how he was a bit of a lousy trapper back then. And when Canute told the gang the story of how Eret had gotten stuck in one of his own traps for three hours when he was 17, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut were in hysterics rolling on the ground laughing. El was with them too and was happily babbling and cooing while Eret held him. All in all, Canute had a fine time.

* * *

The sun was already setting by the time Canute decided to leave. Before he went on his ship, he grasped Eret's shoulders. "You've changed, Eret, Son of Eret, and for the better I may add. I'm proud of you, lad," he smiled. Eret grinned and they briefly hugged. "Hey, Canute, remember when you once asked me what I wanted the most in the world and I never told you the answer?" Eret asked him. "Aye, and what about it?" Canute asked. "I know what I want most in the world…and I already got it," Eret replied. "And what would that be?" Canute asked with a knowing smile. Eret looked over his shoulder to see his friends having fun with their dragons. "_A family…_" Eret said softly. Canute nodded and patted Eret on the back. "That you have, Eret, that you have. And I have to say…your family is very special," he said. The two promised to keep in touch and, before everyone knew it, Canute's ship was setting sail. Zenna and Eret both waved to the old captain as he and his ship sailed off. El, perched on Eret's shoulders, giggled and waved good-bye as well.

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**Read and review :) Those two things make me happy :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! Another update to Milestones here :) And this is going to be good.**

**For El, he learns how to do something new and has a fun time. For Hiccup and Eret…eh…yeah, they'll have fun too. *Smiles deviously***

**Hiccup: I don't like the look on her face…**

**Eret: Neither do I.**

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**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

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**One Way to Spend a Day Off (Eight Months Old)**

"So…"

"So…"

Hiccup and Eret were currently sitting on a bench outside the Dragon Armory, watching Elias II Stoick Fiersome play with their dragons. Zenna, El's older sister, was currently out on a hunting trip with her parents. The two men were also, coincidentally, on their day-off. Hiccup finally had a break from being Chief, letting his mother, Valka, handle today's agenda while Eret was on break from working at the forge. Since they had nothing much to do and all the other Riders had their own thing going, they both agreed to watch over El until Zenna and her parents came back.

"Aw, my two favorite men looking after my little man! You three take care. El, sweetie, don't cause too much trouble for your Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret, okay?" Zenna had cooed, kissing El's button nose, before she left.

Hiccup and Eret easily had no problem attending to El's needs the first few hours. In fact, El was always so well-behaved and didn't cause them any trouble as they fed, changed his diapers and played with him. All was right in the world.

Currently, Hiccup and Eret were looking at El. The little baby boy giggled happily as Toothless, Hiccup's Night Fury, and Skullcrusher, Eret's Rumblehorn, took turns cuddling with him.

"Looking after a baby," Eret said, slightly amused. "That's one way to spend your day-off," Hiccup said, smiling a bit. Gobber, who was busy fixing a dragon's teeth, looked up from his work and grinned as he watched El babbled and waved his little hands at his two uncles. "Honestly, apart from Zenna, you two spoil the wee lad too much," the two-limbed blacksmith chuckled as Hiccup picked El up from the ground and tickled his tummy.

"Well, he's still pretty little, Gobber. I think El deserves to be treated like a prince right now," Hiccup laughed good-naturedly as he lifted the toddler up high, El giggling and squealing in delight. "Keep that up in front of the village then you two will lose your manly reputation," Gobber joked as he saw some of the villagers falter in their steps to stare at the spectacle of two grown men playing with a little baby. "As of now, Gobber, manly reputations are overrated," Eret replied, ignoring the amused looks some of the villagers were giving him, El and Hiccup, as the latter handed him the former so he could have a turn playing with him.

El cooed in delight and curled up against Eret, closing his eyes to take a nap. Toothless and Skullcrusher, seeing their chance to have more time with the Fiersome hatchling, both looked to their Riders with pleading looks. "Oh, alright. Just keep an eye on him," Eret conceded and carefully placed El between the two dragons, the both of them curling up around the baby protectively and draped their wings over him to keep him warm.

"Since the lad's asleep, why don't you two give me a hand?" Gobber said, gesturing to some weapons and saddles that needed to be repaired. Shrugging, Eret and Hiccup got to work. As the two worked on their assignments, Toothless and Skullcrusher also fell asleep. Their Riders were so engrossed with their work, neither of them noticed El wake up from his short nap.

Hiccup and Eret weren't keeping an eye on him so El found the perfect opportunity to crawl over to Big Bertha, Gobber's prized catapult, and managed to clamber into the catapult cup! El then noticed the launching mechanism and eagerly reached for it, eager to see what it would do if he pulled on it.

Gobber finished his dentistry work and looked up just in time to see El about to launch himself off of Big Bertha! "Oi! Lad, get out of there!" Gobber shouted, alerting Hiccup and Eret. Both of them looked, saw El about to launch himself off…and nearly had heart attacks.

"Gaaah! No! El, no, no, no, no, no, get away from there!" Hiccup yelled, rushing to his nephew with Eret right behind him. Hiccup managed to get into the catapult cup with El _(since El was in a slightly elevated position – amazingly he had figured out a way to climb up Big Bertha_) and grabbed him. "Oh, thank Thor…You gave me and Eret a heart attack…" the Chief sighed in relief.

But El could still reach.

With a giggle, El reached out and hit the switch!

"The gods hate _meeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_!"

Eret and Gobber could only watch with wide eyes as El and a rather unfortunate Hiccup were launched up into the air. "Beard of Thor…Eh, good thing Zen's not here to see this. Right, Eret? Eret?" Gobber remarked before noticing that the ex-dragon trapper was gone, mounting Toothless and flying after the two human projectiles with Skullcrusher right behind them.

* * *

El shrieked with delight as he and his Uncle Hiccup hurtled through the air, delighted at the feel of the wind in his face. Hiccup, on the other hand, was screaming at the top of his lungs. When gravity began to pull him and El back to earth, Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut and clutched El closer to his chest. Let him be killed thanks to this innocent baby's curiosity but, dear Odin, he did _not _want El to get hurt!

Luckily as the two were just seconds away from the ground, Eret and Toothless caught up with them and came to their rescue! "Don't worry, Hiccup, we got you!" Eret shouted to the Chief as Skullcrusher flew directly below Hiccup and El to catch them in case they fell. El giggled and waved to Toothless, who smiled a gummy smile at the tyke, while Hiccup opened his eyes. Upon seeing that he and El were saved, Hiccup thanked his lucky stars that he had thought of teaching Eret how to operate Toothless' tail fin.

* * *

After that little scare, Hiccup and Eret brought El to what they deemed to be the safest place on Berk where there were no catapults, deadly weapons or potential fire hazards.

The Cove.

The minute their dragons landed, El wriggled about in Hiccup's arms. "This place seems safe enough, Chief. I think you should let El go. He's getting fussy," Eret advised Hiccup, who didn't seem to want to let the little baby go. Hiccup looked at El worriedly, the little boy gurgling unhappily. "No more catapult launches, okay, buddy?" the 20-year-old told the eight-month-old baby boy. El cooed and nodded.

Sighing, Hiccup carefully put El on the ground. Spotting Toothless and Skullcrusher lazing about near the Cove's pond, El giggled and began to crawl over to them. "Huh, no wonder he managed to get on that catapult earlier…" Eret remarked, smiling a bit. "Well now that he's crawling, we're gonna have to keep closer watch on him," Hiccup said as El reached Toothless and Skullcrusher. The two dragons warbled softly and they proceeded to play with El, who babbled and gurgled and crawled all over them.

"Okay, looks like El's not going to get himself into any trouble if he's just playing with them," Hiccup said, relieved.

Then El managed to crawl onto Slullcrusher's back and squealed. Thinking that El's squeal was a take-off signal, Skullcrusher took off! "Spoke too soon…" Hiccup deadpanned, glancing at Eret who was freaking out. El giggled as Skullcrusher kept going up, up, up, up…until they were both little specks in the sky.

"Aaahh! Skullcrusher, get down! Get down from there!" Eret shouted frantically. But Skullcrusher couldn't hear his Rider because he was so high up, and El was too busy admiring the view.

Toothless lazily looked up at the Rumblehorn and then at the frantic ex-dragon trapper. Hiccup noticed his best friend look at him expectantly and remembered that Toothless was the Alpha.

"Of course! Go ahead, bud. Use that Alpha mind control of yours and bring Skullcrusher and El down," Hiccup nodded to Toothless. Looking up, Toothless concentrated and used his new Alpha ability. Skullcrusher heard the Alpha's call and his pupils narrowed as he was subjected to Toothless' command, gently coming back down to land.

El whined as he saw that he wasn't flying with Skullcrusher anymore. "Elias II Stoick Fiersome, you know you're not yet allowed to go dragon riding…" Eret muttered, lifting the baby boy off Skullcrusher's back. "Good job, bud," Hiccup smiled to Toothless who purred and looked mighty pleased with himself.

El pouted at his two uncles. "I know you're excited, El. But you can't fly on a dragon on your own just yet because you're still too little. The next time you want to go flying, we need to ask for your sister's permission," Hiccup chided his little nephew gently while Eret tended to Skullcrusher, who had just snapped out of Toothless' control.

El looked a tad disappointed but he knew that his Uncle Hiccup was right. Compared to his big sister, he was so small that he couldn't even reach the stirrups on Stryka's saddle. And he knew that what he did was wrong. Not only did he make Skullcrusher take him on a ride, he made his Uncle Eret worry. El cooed apologetically to Eret. "All's forgiven, El. It's okay," the former dragon trapper said gently, tousling El's wispy black hair.

"Let's get back to the village. Hopefully, the Great Hall's a baby-friendly area this time of day," Hiccup suggested. "Agreed," Eret nodded before they got on their dragons and flew back to the village.

* * *

The Great Hall was, thankfully, a baby-friendly area. Only a handful of villagers, mostly Viking women enjoying a good gossip with some of the younger girls, were there. Since El was now able to crawl, he had a fun time crawling from one end of one of the long tables in the Great Hall to the other while his Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret watched. Toothless and Skullcrusher were snoozing near the doors, getting some much-needed rest while their Riders just relaxed with two tankards of ale. Some of the younger girls had taken to watching El happily crawl about on the table while Hiccup and Eret played with him. The sight of the two…admittedly rather handsome young men…playing with a cute little baby boy made the younger girls rather skittish while the older women who had decided to watch were looking at the two men with more than just admiration.

But Hiccup and Eret barely noticed because they were too busy having fun with little El. In fact, they hadn't even noticed that Gobber, Astrid and Zenna had entered and were now watching them.

"Awww…that has got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Astrid gushed as Hiccup played peek-a-boo with El. "Those two and El are definitely a delight to watch," Zenna smiled as Eret tickled El's tummy, her baby brother laughing adorably. Gobber then noticed the women watching and nudged the two girls.

"Eh, you two might wanna make a point clear because I think some lassies are looking at your two lads like they're potential husband material," he chuckled, seeing that some of the women were beginning to move their seats closer to Hiccup and Eret's table.

Seeing the threat, Astrid and Zenna marched up to their boyfriends with their hands on their hips. Hiccup and Eret saw them coming and, before they had a chance to even say hi, were both grabbed by the shirtfront and kissed passionately by their girlfriends.

El let out a confused coo and sucked on his thumb.

When Hiccup and Eret were released from the sudden lip lock, Astrid and Zenna smiled. Then, turning to the stunned women, they both had victorious grins on their faces.

"That's right, ladies! These two fine gents are off the market and are ours!" Astrid proudly declared. "Better luck next time, girls! Which is _never!_" Zenna laughed victoriously. There was an audible sigh of defeat from the women and they all retreated, seeing that the Chief and newcomer were officially taken.

"What was that all about?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow. "They were trying to steal you from me, babe. I had no choice but to scare them off," Astrid smiled sweetly, nuzzling her head into Hiccup's shoulder. "And kissing us was a scare tactic?" Eret asked, slightly amused. "Mmmm…more of a warning for them, actually," Zenna smiled and gently kissed Eret on the cheek. "Och! Come on, you lovebirds! There's a child here for Thor's sake!" Gobber covered El's face with his hand.

El peeked out from behind Gobber's hand and squealed happily upon seeing that his big sister was home. "Hey, El! I missed you!" Zenna smiled and scooped her baby brother up into her arms. El smiled and snuggled into Zenna's chest. "Did you have fun with your Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret?" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor cooed. El nodded.

Looking at the two, Zenna asked, "He didn't cause you guys any trouble, did he?"

Hiccup and Eret both paled slightly at the question, remembering a certain incident with a catapult. "Oh, funny you should mention that, Zenna! You see…" Gobber managed to cheerfully say before both men jabbed him in the ribs, effectively shutting him up.

Astrid raised an eyebrow at the two while Zenna patiently waited for them to answer her question. "Not at all, Zen!" Hiccup said in a tone that sounded a little bit forced. "El was well-behaved the whole time, Zenna. He was no trouble at all," Eret said more convincingly.

That seemed to make Zenna happy and she took El home, cooing adorably at her sweet little angel of a brother. Gobber had finally recovered from the sudden double rib jabs and looked at Hiccup and Eret, who were both looking at him with expressions that clearly read, '_Breathe one word about this to anyone and we will send our dragons after you._'

Chuckling, Gobber just patted both men on the back and went on his way. Astrid looked at Hiccup and Eret, who both heaved sighs of relief. "That was too close…" Eret said, suddenly feeling exhausted. "If Gobber had finished his sentence…_da-da-da, we're dead!_" Hiccup agreed with him. "Okay, what happened?" Astrid folded her arms across her chest and looked at them expectantly. Sitting back down, the two men told her everything…

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**Me: Well, until the next update! Read and review! (Then looks to Hiccup and Eret)**

**Hiccup: Why do you enjoy causing us misery?**

**Me: It's funny!**

**Eret: Not to us, just so you know!**

**Me: Whatever you son of an Eret. Wait…what's that?**

**Zenna (off-screen): They let El do WHAT?!**

**Astrid (off-screen): Sorry, boys. I had to tell her.**

**Me: *looks at Eret and Hiccup expectantly*: You two might wanna run now.**

***Eret and Hiccup nod and run away***


	10. What Could Go Wrong? PART I

**Hey, guys! This is the last of the five choices of one-shots I had asked you all to vote on early this month. This was requested by **goodowen2001 **and I've decided to split it into parts to make it special :)**

**I apologize if this first part might seem rather short and lame but this is where the stage is set…for the madness that is about to begin when you have Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut babysit a nine-month-old baby boy who hates them.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

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**What Could Go Wrong? Part I (Nine Months Old)**

"You want _us _to care for El?" Mulch asked Henna and Edgar in surprise while Bucket held the giggling baby boy in his arms. "It's only for today, Mulch. You see, we need to go assist Zenna and Valka at the Dragon Sanctuary," Edgar told the farmer-fisherman. "According to Valka, there's a mother dragon having a hard time laying her eggs. Gothi's already at the Sanctuary with our daughter and Valka but one of her Terrors sent us a message that they were going to need our help," Henna explained.

Bucket wasn't really paying attention to them and was making funny faces at Elias II Stoick Fiersome, Henna and Edgar's youngest son, who babbled and cooed while gently tapping on Bucket's bucket.

"Well why not the Chief or Eret? They're usually the ones you two and Zenna go to for babysitting?" Mulch asked, perplexed, since he and his bucket-wearing friend weren't experienced in babysitting. "They're coming along with us, too. According to Gothi, the poor mother dragon's got quite a large brood…" Henna said pitifully just as the roars of a Night Fury and Rumblehorn came from above.

"We're all set!" Eret shouted from Skullcrusher's back. "And we better hurry! Zen said she was going to perform surgery in an hour!" Hiccup added. Looking at Bucket and Mulch, Henna and Edgar smiled apologetically. "We're really sorry but it'll only be for today. We promise," Edgar said imploringly. "Very well, then. We, in turn, promise to keep little El safe and well-cared for," Mulch agreed. "Thank you so much!" Henna smiled and then gently kissed El's button nose.

"Now, be good while Mama and Papa are gone, love. Don't cause any trouble for Bucket and Mulch, you hear?" she said lovingly. El smiled and nodded.

Getting on Serpent and Serpentine, Henna and Edgar took their leave. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun aren't we, El?" Bucket cooed to the little boy who giggled and clapped his hands. Mulch smiled and gently patted the boy's head. "Alright, wee lad, let's head out to the farm and see the animals," he said fondly. El squealed with delight as his two babysitters took him out to the farm.

Giggling, El crawled on over to some sheep the minute Bucket let him on the ground. "_Baaaa!_" the sheep bleated at the nine-month-old baby boy. El giggled and babbled, trying to imitate the sheep. Meanwhile Bucket and Mulch set about on their daily chores. El was content enough to go play with some of the farm animals while the two worked.

Then, disaster struck.

Unbeknownst to Bucket and Mulch, the Twins were also at the farm and they thought that it would be a pretty good idea to let loose some of the yaks and send them into a stampede! Barf and Belch, who were helping in causing the ruckus, then saw El with the other animals and quickly saved the little one from getting trampled. While little El was safe, Bucket and Mulch weren't so lucky and had to be taken to the Dragon Armory so Gobber could perform first aid on them until Zenna came back with Gothi.

The Twins had been caught by Astrid and the other Riders and they were now at the Armory waiting for Gobber to give them the news. El had gotten spooked by the stampede earlier and was fussing a bit when Gobber came out of the Armory. With a serious look on his face, the old blacksmith gave the Riders the news.

"The good news is that their injuries aren't severe. But until Gothi and Zenna come back…" Gobber then saw the other Riders' anxious faces tense when El looked at them with something that closely resembled a glare. '_Smart lad, this one. I bet he knows who was responsible for this madness…_' Gobber thought, smiling mischievously. He had been well informed of the incident that happened when El was two-months-old and how he had scared the living daylights out of the other Riders with his imitation of his two older siblings' '_Fiersome Glare_' and, now, knew just what punishment to give the Twins…and the other Riders as well.

Gently placing El in Astrid's arms (_the brave Hofferson instantly going rigid_), Gobber told them, "You all have to take care of little El for the meantime,"

"WHAT?!" Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins all shrieked in shock before clamming up when El fixed his glare on them.

"That's all there is to it! Good luck!" Gobber then cheerfully waved and went back to the Armory. "You'll need it…" he chuckled to himself.

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins could only look at each other nervously before they all looked at El. Much like them, he did _not _look too happy about this.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Dragon Sanctuary…

Valka and Gothi had successfully sedated the female Monstrous Nightmare while Zenna was preparing her tools when her assistants arrived. "Oh, good timing. We were about to perform the operation. Everyone, put on your protective gear, stat!" Zenna said briskly, donning her fire mask, a hood like mask made from shed dragon scales stitched together with just a small opening cut into the area where the eyes were in order to see, and gloves made from the same material. Henna, Edgar, Hiccup and Eret put their protective gear on.

Suddenly Henna felt her maternal instincts kick in and said, "I'm worried about El…I feel like something's happened…" worriedly. Edgar gently patted her shoulder. "I'm sure our boy's fine, love. Bucket and Mulch can handle him. It's not like El's being cared for by people who are terrified of him," he chuckled.

But something in her Dad's words made Zenna uneasy even as she prepared to do the operation. And, judging by the concerned looks in their eyes, she had a feeling that Hiccup and Eret were also feeling the same thing.

"Worst case scenario, Zen, something happened to Bucket and Mulch and…oh, I don't know…Astrid and the gang had to look after him now," Hiccup said jokingly in attempt to lighten the mood. "And we all know that the chances of something going wrong there are infinite," Eret chuckled in agreement. Zenna laughed a bit and remarked, "Yeah, if the others were babysitting El then there'll be mass chaos. But that can't happen while Bucket and Mulch are completely fine and are the ones looking after him, right?" earning nods from her companions.

Gothi then motioned with her staff that it was okay to proceed. "Alright, let's make this quick so she doesn't bleed out…Zenna, your call," Valka nodded to the Dragon Doctor.

"Alright, I'm making the first incision…" Zenna muttered as she cut her scalpel into the Monstrous Nightmare's abdominal cavity…completely in the dark along with the others that, back on Berk, chaos was brewing…

* * *

**Oh, Zenna…If you only knew…**

**Read and review. The next part will be here shortly**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	11. What Could Go Wrong? PART II

**This part might seem a little bit rushed and too…cartoon-y…but I hope you guys like it :)**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**What Could Go Wrong? PART II**

"I'm going to lose it if he keeps this up!" Snotlout groaned over the sound of El's wailing. The five unfortunate souls tasked with babysitting the little terror were now at Astrid's house with a hungry baby El bawling at the top of his lungs.

"_Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!_" El screamed, clutching his belly, feeling voraciously hungry. Astrid was trying to calm him down by bouncing him on her lap while Fishlegs and the Twins tried to rustle something up for the little one to eat. Finally the trio emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of green, orange and yellow mush.

"What did you guys put in there?" Astrid asked suspiciously, eyeing the concoction warily. "Mashed potatoes, peas and carrots…with yak milk," Fishlegs said. "It's an old recipe our Mom used to make for us when we were still weaning," Ruffnut told her friend. "Ruff and I usually played with our food but maybe El will like it," Tuffnut shrugged.

Sighing, Astrid held El out in front of her at arm's length as if the baby boy were a ticking time bomb. "Okay, widdle El! Here comes the dragon! Whoosh…" Ruffnut made a big deal of waving the spoon about in front of El's face before shoving the spoon into the toddler's open mouth. El instantly stopped crying once he tasted the veggie mash and clamored for more. "Hey, he likes it!" Tuffnut grinned and brought the bowl closer to the little tyke.

That's when El grabbed handfuls of the veggie mash…and proceeded to throw them at his babysitters' faces!

"Ack! No! El, don't!"

"Bad baby! Food not for throwing!"

"Make him stop!"

"For a baby, he's got good aim!"

"Aah! Carrot stuck up in nose! Ack!"

When the bowl was already half-empty, Astrid's hair had mashed peas in it, Ruffnut and Tuffnut both had mashed potatoes on their faces while Fishlegs and Snotlout both had mashed carrots splattering their clothes. El giggled and took advantage of the moment to feed himself more of the veggie mash, expertly wielding the spoon he had snatched from Ruffnut's hand into the bowl and then bringing the food into his mouth.

"What just happened…?" Tuffnut asked dumbly. "I have no idea…Everything was all…potato-ey…" Ruffnut mumbled, dazed.

El finished eating and then smiled happily. "Well…at least the feeding problem's been solved…" Astrid said in relief as she gave El some water to drink.

Suddenly there was a '_squelch!_' like noise and the place suddenly stank to high Valhalla!

All five babysitters wrinkled their noses at the smell before looking at El, who was now beginning to gurgle unhappily.

"Oh, my gods…that is a real stink bomb…!" Astrid stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Little baby…big boom boom…" Snotlout looked like he was about to throw up. Tuffnut didn't seem too bothered by the smell after a few minutes and actually looked calm and relaxed as opposed to Ruffnut, who was dry retching into the empty bowl. Fishlegs then eyed El nervously and asked the question everyone had been dodging for the past few seconds.

"Who changes his diaper?"

In response, Astrid pressed El into his hands. El whined, feeling uncomfortable due to his soiled diaper and farted. Fishlegs took one whiff of the stench and began to pale. "Hmmm…smells like rose petals…" he muttered before fainting.

Luckily, Snotlout rescued El before the chubby Ingerman hit the ground.

* * *

Carefully laying El on the table, Astrid removed his soiled diaper. An unbearable odor permeated the room, making everyone gag. "Odin above, that smells…!" Ruffnut cried out, pinching her nose. "Quit whining and just help me change him," Astrid hissed at her while Snotlout went to go dispose of the toxic waste. Tuffnut had managed to revive Fishlegs by slapping him hard across the face while the girls took turns in wiping El's bottom clean, applying special powder, cream and putting a new diaper on him. All the while, El giggled and rolled about the table as if trying to hinder his Aunties Astrid and Ruff from doing their tasks.

"I don't mean to sound mean…but I think he's doing this on purpose…" Ruffnut muttered under her breath. Astrid could only nod, silently agreeing with her friend's claim. Whenever El was around them, he acted like Loki's spawn. But the minute he was around his family, Hiccup and/or Eret, he was an innocent little toddler who behaved immaculately.

Once the laborious task of changing El's diaper had been accomplished, Astrid and Ruffnut both sighed with relief and moved away from the table. And El, meanwhile, busied himself with smearing the table with the cream and sprinkling the special powder on the floor, delighting with how the powder resembled fresh snow.

"Okay, that kid's got something with making messes…" Snotlout grumbled. "Maybe we should bring him outside. He won't be able to make too much mess once he's outside playing," Astrid said and scooped El up from under his armpits and carried him outside the house. "Um, Astrid, I don't think that's how you should carry a baby…" Fishlegs said meekly, following the Hofferson maiden outside the house.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at each other nervously. "Didn't Zenna tell us last week that El already knew how to crawl?" Ruffnut asked her brother. Tuffnut paled upon realizing that if El knew how to crawl…the outside world was now full of potential dangers. "I seriously hope Zen's having a less harder time wherever she, Eret and Hiccup are right now…" he said, shaking his head.

* * *

**At the Dragon Sanctuary...**

"Alright…I think I can see the first egg…Gothi, can you hold up that lantern a little to the right…?" Zenna calmly parted through the folds of dragon flesh to uncover the uterus where the eggs were. Zenna was used to such squeamish operations and was completely calm as she reached into the uterus of the Mostrous Nightmare to get an egg.

"Whoa…so that's what they look like from the inside…" Hiccup said, fascinated. "Cool…" Eret agreed with him. "Okay…I got a firm grip on this one. Bring forth the basket!" Zenna instructed. Henna and Edgar immediately brought forward a basket lined with shed dragon scales. The female Monstrous Nightmare began to stir but Valka managed to calm it down.

Zenna then got the first egg out. Upon coming in contact with the air outside, the egg burst into flames! "Yep, this one's a healthy egg!" the Dragon Doctor said and quickly placed the egg in the basket. Valka, Gothi and Zenna's parents assisted in helping pull out the eggs.

"She's starting to lose a lot of blood…Hiccup, Eret! Go see if you can have some Monstrous Nightmares donate blood!" Zenna instructed urgently. "On it!" both men shouted and went with their dragons to go get some Monstrous Nightmare blood.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Berk, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug and Barf and Belch could only watch with confused expressions as their Riders frantically chased after a herd of yaks El had released from their pen! El was now gurgling happy gurgles as he stayed with the dragons, who all doted on him as if he were their own hatchling, and watched his Uncles Snotlout and Fishlegs get trampled by some yaks.

Here's what happened: The minute Astrid set El down, he immediately crawled over to a nearby yak pen. He couldn't reach for the lock but he noticed a loose board and was smart enough to push on it. When El pushed on that board, the pen's infrastructure weakened. And, after a few more pushes, the entire pen came crashing down and the yaks were set loose! Ruffnut managed to get El out of the herd's way but was unfortunate enough to be the first to get knocked into the air flying when a yak head butted her. Now, she was sprawled out on the ground in a daze while the rest of her friends chased after the runaway yaks.

"Nice yaks…good yaks…evil yaks, get away from me!" Tuffnut yelled as a pair of yaks turned their horns toward him and chased the male Thorston around the plaza! Oddly enough, none of the villagers were helping the five Dragon Riders in the crisis. They either didn't want to get involved with the madness or they were seeing the chaos the five Riders had gotten themselves into while babysitting the youngest member of the Fiersome family as entertainment.

In fact, Gobber and Spitelout were just standing around there and sharing a basket of berries with some of the men.

"I'm gonna die virgin!" Astrid screamed exasperatedly to the skies.

* * *

**Again at the Dragon Sanctuary...**

"We got some blood!" Hiccup hollered as he and Eret carried a specially made bag filled with Monstrous Nightmare blood. "Some of the females were generous enough," Eret said. Getting dragon blood for medical purposes was a rather delicate procedure but Zenna had schooled both of them in how to do it right. It involved their dragons talking to the donors, getting the donors' okay and then using a specially made needle that they had to stick into one of the major arteries on the dragon's neck and carefully pumping the blood into the bag.

"Good, we better give this girl a dose…" Henna murmured and, with Valka's help, got a tube into the bag and a needle into the female Monstrous Nightmare to have her blood transfusion.

Edgar whistled as he and Zenna pulled out two more eggs. "How many eggs can a dragon have?" he wondered out loud. Zenna looked over her shoulder to see Gothi frowning next to the already filled-to-the-brim baskets.

"We're gonna need more baskets…" she muttered.

* * *

Meanwhile Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins finally got all of the yaks corralled into a new pen and were all lying down on the ground in a heap, exhausted and covered with dirt and bruises.

"That…was…tiring…!" Fishlegs gasped out. "I'm just glad it's all over…" Snotlout mumbled, aching all over. Then Astrid glanced at the spot where they left their dragons with El. The little baby boy was happily playing with Stormfly, the Nadder playfully dangling her tail over the little guy's head. El squealed with delight and grabbed onto Stormfly's tail and was gently lifted off the ground a few centimeters before being gently lowered down. Meatlug cooed and licked him, crooning in a motherly fashion.

'_I seriously hope Zenna comes home soon…Thor knows El can be distracted for only so long…Oh, my gods, Hiccup, where are you…?_' the blonde Hofferson maiden thought worriedly.

* * *

**Yeah, I actually got inspiration for this from an old fanfic I had read about Astrid and the other teens babysitting Gobber's niece. I can't really remember the title but it had Hiccup being away and doing the exact same procedure Zenna is doing right now.**

**Anyways, read and review :)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	12. What Could Go Wrong? PART III

**Here's the last part of What Could Go Wrong? For Milestones :) Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

* * *

**What Could Go Wrong? PART III**

When we last left our hapless babysitters, they had just survived Yakmageddon and were currently lying in a heap on the ground and watching the cause of their pain and suffering play with their dragons. They all thought the same thing: Surely, with the dragons to keep him distracted, Elias II Stoick Fiersome wouldn't be able to cause any more trouble, right?

They thought wrong.

"Ack! No! El, don't get on them!" Ruffnut shrieked in alarm as she and her brother saw the nine-month-old baby boy clamber onto Barf and Belch! El squealed as the Hideous Zippleback lifted off the ground to take him on a ride! "Wow…for a baby, he sure knows how to ride…" Tuffnut remarked, seeing how well El flew Barf and Belch while sitting right on the Zippleback's back. Snotlout and Fishlegs could only watch with wide eyes as El rode Barf and Belch around like he'd done it a million times while Astrid looked ready to tear her hair out.

"We gotta go get him before he falls off!" Astrid cried out and mounted Stormfly. Snotlout and Fishlegs looked hesitant while the Twins were still looking dazed.

"What are you guys doing just standing around?! We need to go _now_!" Astrid yelled at them, a desperate wild look in her eyes. Fearing the Hofferson's wrath, Snotlout and Fishlegs got Ruffnut and Tuffnut to ride with them and they took off in pursuit of El. The little baby boy was laughing happily as Barf and Belch took him up into the clouds, taking great care to keep El safe on the ride. When the other Riders finally caught up with them, El was eager to try out Barf and Belch's Gas and Spark so he excitedly climbed up Barf, pulled on his horns to get the explosive gas, slid down Barf, climbed up Belch next and sparked the gas!

"Why, you little…!" Astrid all but screamed as the resulting explosion sent her, Stormfly, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Meatlug reeling backwards.

* * *

Hiccup suddenly looked up from inspecting the Monstrous Nightmare eggs he was inspecting, a troubled look on his face. "Something wrong, Chief?" Eret asked, also inspecting the eggs. "I feel like there's been an explosion back home and, for once, the Twins have nothing to do with it…" Hiccup mumbled, a bit worried. "You're probably just tired, Hicc. By the way, remind me to give you and Toothless a check up when we get home," Zenna told him as she pulled out the last egg and placed it in the already overflowing basket. "Alright, then! Let's stitch her up! Henna, Edgar, the thread, please!" Valka called out.

Hiccup then decided that Zenna was right and worrying over something he wasn't so sure about wasn't going to do him any good before going back to egg-inspecting duty.

* * *

"That wasn't exactly fun…" Tuffnut mumbled, his face smudged with soot, as he held a squealing El in his arms. "Blowing stuff up's fun…but it's not that fun when it's our faces getting blown up…" Ruffnut agreed with him before slumping forward on Barf.

After they had been basically caught in the crossfire earlier, the Riders managed to catch up with Barf and Belch. Tuffnut had grabbed El before he had the chance to spark off another plume of gas. The gas had spread and both Fishlegs and Snotlout had breathed in the gas from Barf and were now feeling sick along with their dragons. Riding Stormfly, who was looking a bit queasy herself, Astrid looked at El, her right eye twitching, as he happily played with Tuffnut's dreadlocks.

'_How can that little twerp be so well-behaved whenever Zenna, Hiccup and Eret are around while acting like Loki's spawn when __**we're **__around him?_' she thought as they flew back to her house. El cooed and kicked his little legs, wanting to go do something. "Keep an eye on him. I gotta clean my house before my parents get back…" Astrid sighed and went inside her house. Fishlegs, Snotlout and Ruffnut eyed El warily who, after seeing that he wasn't going anywhere, resumed playing with Tuffnut's hair.

"Way to take one for the team, Tuff," Snotlout commented, watching the male Thorston wince as El kept tugging on his dreadlocks. Tuffnut merely huffed and allowed El to play with his long locks. A few minutes later of playing tug-of-war with his Uncle Tuffnut, El finally yawned and closed his eyes to take a nap.

"Thank you, Thor…" Fishlegs sighed with relief. El cooed softly in his sleep and snuggled into Tuffnut's chest, looking like a sweet angel. "Awww…" Ruffnut couldn't help but coo as she watched her brother rock El in his arms. "Heh, you know, he doesn't look so scary when he's asleep…" Tuffnut grinned crookedly as El slightly stirred before quieting down in his arms.

Astrid then came back outside and saw that El was finally asleep. "Oh good, he's finally fallen asleep. Let's bring him inside," she said. Nodding the gang went inside Astrid's house. Carefully laying El down in a makeshift bed of blankets and furs on the floor, the gang settled down to rest. In just a few minutes, all five Dragon Riders had fallen asleep.

Two hours later, El woke up.

Yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes, El looked around the room. Uncles Fishlegs and Snotlout were both sitting on the same chair, their backs to each other as they snored. Uncle Tuffnut and Auntie Ruffnut were both hanging upside-down from the rafters, sleeping as well, while Astrid had taken a seat by the table and had fallen asleep with her head resting on top of the table. El gurgled, wanting to play, but his babysitters didn't wake up. Unhappy, El crawled out of bed and crawled towards the slightly open door. The lure of adventure waiting outside beckoned the baby boy and he gamely crawled outside.

* * *

Hookfang, Meatlug, Stormfly and Barf and Belch were currently lazing outside and all swiveled their heads towards the door as El crawled outside. Seeing the dragons, El giggled and happily crawled over to them. Hookfang crooned and nuzzled the baby boy, allowing him to crawl up onto his back. Sitting up, El squealed and patted on Hookfang's horns. The Monstrous Nightmare then flew up to take El on a ride while the other dragons got up and followed him.

El giggled as he enjoyed the ride. Up in the sky, it was like a whole new world. And the clouds looked so fluffy and looked so much like sheep's wool! El waved his little arms up at them, violet eyes going wide with amazement as he discovered that they felt more like air than wool. Stormfly squawked, prompting Hookfang and the other dragons to land at Bucket and Mulch's barn. El squealed happily as Meatlug helped him down Hookfang and, then, crawled on over to the animals. He played with the chickens, sheep and yaks while happily getting dirty in the mud. He giggled and made faces at the animals, giggling when the animals made their funny animal noises. Even the dragons had fun playing with El and the animals, happily crooning and trilling as they played.

* * *

Astrid was the first to wake up and notice that El was gone. And, sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm did she scream so loud.

"**WHERE'S EL?!"**

* * *

Back on the farm, El had climbed onto one of the yaks and happily sat on its back as it lumbered about the yard. Then Hookfang, following the little guy, stepped on Barf and Belch's tail. The Hideous Zippleback immediately got testy and, before Stormfly and Meatlug could do anything, a fight broke out between the two dragons! In the chaos that ensued, a whole menagerie of farm animals broke out of the farm…with El still sitting on the yak's back! El screamed in fright as he tightly held onto the stampeding yak's horns. He liked riding yaks but this was getting to be a too bumpy ride!

But Stormfly and Meatlug were too busy trying to break up the fight between Barf and Belch and Hookfang to notice that El and the animals were headed straight for town.

* * *

Back at the Dragon Sanctuary, the operation had been a success. While Valka, Gothi, Henna and Edgar tended to the now stitched-up mother Monstrous Nightmare, Hiccup, Zenna and Eret were making comfortable nests for the flaming dragon eggs alongside their dragons. Suddenly, the three of them all had the sinking feeling that something chaotic on a massive scale was occurring back at Berk.

But when they all looked at each other, Hiccup, Zenna and Eret dismissed those thoughts by saying, "…_Nah!_" before going back to their jobs.

* * *

Back on Berk, the Riders were practically turning the entire village upside-down searching for El. "How can a nine-month-old baby slip away from us like it's nothing?!" Snotlout asked exasperatedly. "Guys, El's the younger brother of Zenna and Elias, the two greatest stealth masters in all of Midgard. He's obviously inherited their knack for sneaking out," Fishlegs deadpanned. "I don't care if he's even half-god! If we can't find El before Zenna and her parents come back…Oh, man, I don't even wanna think about it…" Ruffnut mumbled, paling as she looked around. "It's only a matter of who will kill us first: Mr. and Mrs. Fiersome or, worse, Zenna," Tuffnut gulped, making a slicing gesture over his throat for emphasis.

Astrid was the most frantic. She looked this way and that, shouted El's name until her throat got sore and left no stone unturned. As annoying as El was, she loved the sweet baby boy who had his big sister's eyes and didn't want anything to happen to him.

Suddenly the Riders became aware of the sound of a stampede and saw the villagers running for their lives as a whole bunch of farm animals made its way into town! Astrid's sharp blue eyes then spotted a familiar little boy sitting atop a yak, holding onto the horns for dear life.

"_El!_" Astrid cried out, alerting the rest of the gang to action. Quickly Snotlout and Fishlegs managed to herd the sheep and some of the yaks away while the Twins handled the chickens. Astrid, herself, bravely charged into the fray, performing a somersault and managed to grab El and jump off the yak before Spitelout finally got some of the men to help him get the animals under control.

Meanwhile El was still spooked from his bumpy ride and was crying. But instead of thinking of the baby boy's wailing as a nuisance, Astrid had nothing but concern for the little tyke.

"Waaaahhhh! Waaa-waaaaahhhhh!" El cried, hiccupping on his tears and snot. "Ssshhh…sshhh…it's okay, El…You're safe…It's okay…" Astrid murmured softly as she rocked the nine-month-old baby boy in her arms, gently patting El's soft black curls. El stopped crying and sniffled. Astrid smiled gently at him and gave him a soft kiss on his dirt-streaked forehead. "It's okay, El…I got you…Auntie Astrid's got you…" she whispered. Finally El smiled and wrapped his little arms around Astrid's neck in a hug. Astrid smiled, glad that she and El were finally no longer at odds, and turned to her friends.

"Let's go clean him up," she grinned, the four other Riders nodding happily in agreement. Astrid, holding a giggling baby El, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut left for Astrid's house, leaving the rest of the village to clean up.

* * *

"What…?" Henna and Edgar both asked.

"Odin…" Valka breathed out.

"Holy Shields…" Zenna mumbled.

"Whoa…" Eret muttered.

Gothi could only gasp.

Hiccup, on the other hand, looked around the disaster area that was the village plaza with his emerald green eyes wide. The marketplace was all but leveled to the ground. Mud and feathers were everywhere and about half a dozen houses had been damaged. His right eye twitching, Hiccup looked to the dragons as if they could provide him with answers. But even Toothless, Stryka, Cloudjumper, Serpent and Serpentine and Gothi's flock of Terrible Terrors all seemed baffled by the display.

After about five minutes of surveying the damage, Hiccup sighed and turned to Valka. "Mom, please organize a clean up," he requested politely. Valka nodded and, along with Henna and Edgar, left to get some villagers to help them. "Zenna love, be a dear and go fetch El from Bucket and Mulch's place," Henna said to her daughter. "You got it, Mom," Zenna saluted and went to go get her baby brother, Eret following her. Hiccup, meanwhile, sighed and turned to Toothless.

"Bud…what did I do to deserve this?" he deadpanned. Toothless could only shrug his wings.

* * *

Hiccup was busy helping Hoark rebuild a wall that had been torn down from his house when Zenna and Eret ran up to him, both looking panicked.

"El wasn't at Bucket and Mulch's place!" Zenna said worriedly. "What? Where is he?" Hiccup immediately excused himself from rebuilding duty once he heard that. "We have no idea," Eret could only shake his head. That's when Gobber hobbled over to the trio. "Oh, El? He's with the other Riders. You see, the Twins caused an explosion on the farm and Bucket and Mulch were both injured. So, as punishment, I…" the old blacksmith managed to say before Hiccup, Zenna and Eret ran in the direction of the Hoffersons, spinning Gobber about like a top in the process.

The three of them had been expecting the worst case scenario: the Hofferson house completely destroyed, El completely neglected and the other Riders all passed out in exhaustion. Instead, to Hiccup, Zenna and Eret's surprise and amazement, El was laughing and happily splashing about in a shallow wooden tub as the other Riders bathed him and the dragons watched.

"Who's a good baby boy? Who is? Who is?" Ruffnut cooed while Fishlegs and Snotlout both said, "El is!" in cute baby talk voices. El squealed and opened his mouth to eat a soap bubble, making a face as the bubble popped inside his mouth. "Ah, ah, ah, El. Soap bubbles look pretty but they do not taste yummy," Fishlegs smiled as he gently soaped up El's hair and rinsed it. El waved his little arms and smiled, his violet eyes sparkling with joy. "Okay, you little terror, let's get you dressed up…" Astrid looked completely relaxed as she got El out of the tub and dried him off.

"_Astrid?_" Hiccup asked, going over to her and the other Riders with Eret and Zenna. "Hey, Babe!" Astrid said cheerfully while carefully drying El off with a towel. "You guys are okay?" Eret asked, surprised on how relaxed the others were.

"Yep!" Snotlout grinned.

"All's well!" Fishlegs nodded.

"Nothing wrong!" the Twins chorused.

Zenna smiled, glad to see that her friends had finally gotten over their irrational fear of El and were now having fun with him. El's head popped out from the towel Astrid had wrapped him in and he babbled adorably at Astrid, who giggled as she helped him dress. "So I take it that you guys had no trouble with babysitting my little terror of a brother?" she asked Astrid. The tough Hofferson lady looked nervous for a few seconds before casually saying, "Of course not, Zen! El was no trouble at all!"

"Uh-huh…" Hiccup nodded before picking up El's soiled tunic that was covered in mud and feathers. Instantly Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins simultaneously gulped. "And I suppose El was nowhere near the village plaza, that currently looks like a warzone due to a stampede of farm animals, this afternoon?" the young Chief asked with a knowing look on his face. The other Riders could only look at each other nervously. Eret frowned and folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow. "Astrid, tell us the truth," Hiccup said seriously.

Seeing that she couldn't lie to her boyfriend, Astrid sighed in defeat. "Okay! We really didn't like babysitting El at first. He threw his lunch at us, planted a huge stink bomb in my house, set a herd of yaks loose and, when we all fell asleep after he did, he snuck out of the house and, the next thing we knew, he was on a yak that was part of the stampede," she confessed.

Hiccup and Eret nodded slowly, taking this all in, before looking at Zenna. The one-eyed Dragon Doctor was calm as she looked at Astrid and then at El, who cooed adorably at her. Finally she picked her baby brother up and smiled. "Did you have fun with your aunties and uncles, sweetie?" she asked gently. El giggled and clapped his little hands in delight. Then Zenna looked at Astrid. "You guys live…_this time_. But if anything else happens to El while I'm not around…_sleep with one eye open_. Got it?" she said in a calm, measured tone so as not to frighten El. "Yes!" Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins all squeaked nervously.

"Good," Zenna smiled as El reached out towards Astrid. Holding El up to the blonde shield maiden, Zenna couldn't help but smile as El cooed and bumped noses with Astrid affectionately. "You're worth a lot of trouble, you know that?" Astrid smiled gently at the baby boy.

El could only giggle in response.

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**What do you guys think? Give me your craziest reviews. Those kind of reviews are a particular favorite of mine ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone! Another sweet one-shot for Milestones. And if you guys have any suggestions on more one-shots for this fiction, feel free to leave them in the reviews!**

**NOTE: I OWN NOTHING!**

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**Baby's First Steps (Ten Months Old)**

Serpent and Serpentine both cooed as Elias II Stoick Fiersome waved his little arms up at them, asking for permission to pet the Zippleback. Edgar and Henna both smiled as their son was granted permission to pet Serpent and Serpentine. Zenna, El's older sister, was watching her baby brother happily crawl all over Stryka while squealing happily.

"Odin's beard, he's getting big…" Edgar chuckled as he watched El blow a raspberry at Stryka. "He is, isn't he, love? It won't be long until he's old enough to have his own dragon," Henna smiled. "And you two are going to be…Holy Shields, you guys are going to be so old," Zenna joked while Stryka made a funny face at El who giggled adorably.

Edgar laughed at his daughter's tease. "Aye, old age is the enemy of any strong man," he said jovially. "Well, at least we have a daughter who is a doctor to care for us in our old age even when she's married," Henna smiled. "Now that's a job I can handle," Zenna grinned before Serpent and Serpentine warbled excitedly.

The family looked in time to see El stand up. "Well would you look at that!" Edgar grinned. El giggled, liking this new standing up position. He could see more things now and he felt taller! And, at that moment, Hiccup and Toothless both happened to pass by. El cooed as the Chief and the Alpha passed by at a considerably far distance, their backs facing him as they went off to do some joint-chiefing together.

Next to his Uncle Eret, El absolutely _adored _his Uncle Hiccup! Whenever he was around, Uncle Hiccup always had a cool new invention or toy for him to tinker and play with. And, in fact, Zenna, her family and all of the other Riders theorized that El may have inherited Hiccup's intelligence as the little boy was already capable of doing things highly advance for his age. At three months, El already knew how to answer simple arithmetic questions by using his fingers to give out the numbers. At six months, he was already learning how to read silently and could already scribble down the Runic Alphabet. And at nine months, El had discovered the joys of drawing when Hiccup gave him one of his blank journals and a box of crayons and showed him how to draw Toothless and Stryka.

Needless to say, El loved Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Hiccup loved him right back.

Wanting to have his Uncle Hiccup and Toothless join him in playtime, El lifted one little foot up into the air…and took a single step.

Zenna's eye nearly popped out of its socket while Edgar and Henna's mouths dropped open. Stryka and Serpent and Serpentine crooned encouragingly as El took another step.

"Those are his first steps…" Henna murmured, looking at her equally gobsmacked husband. Then Zenna shouted, "HOLY SHIELDS, EL'S TAKING HIS FIRST STEPS!" in the loudest and most excited tone ever. "Hiccup! Chief, _turn around!_" Edgar yelled, excited as well, as El began to waddle towards the young man. Hearing Edgar's yells, Hiccup turned around. His emerald green eyes widened at the sight of El, his sweet and adorable nephew, wobbling on over to him on his little chubby legs. El was laughing happily, keeping both arms out at his sides to aid his balance, as his steps became steadier and he took his first long walk.

"El?" Hiccup blinked at the little baby boy in surprise. "Let him come to you, Chief!" Edgar and Henna told him, the two of them grinning widely. Zenna was practically bouncing about with glee. "Those are his first steps, Hicc! El's first steps!" she squealed in excitement.

Now Hiccup got really excited and began to bounce on his toes as El slowly made progress. The dragons were now roaring excitedly as they watched the little Fiersome hatchling walk for the first time.

"Go, El! Go, go, go!" "That's it, son! You can do it!" "Go, little bro, go!" Henna, Edgar and Zenna cheered their little baby boy on. El cooed happily as he neared his goal. "That's it, El! Come on, buddy! Come to Uncle Hiccup!" Hiccup grinned widely as he squatted down on the ground with his arms wide open. With just a few steps left, El was determined to turn his walking into running. With a happy squeal, El sprinted the last few steps right into his Uncle Hiccup's open arms.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Hip hip hooray!" Edgar and Henna whooped while Zenna did a backflip of sheer joy. Hiccup was all smiles as he lifted El up high, his little nephew shrieking with delight. "You did it, buddy! I'm so proud of you!" he laughed as Zenna and her parents rushed over to them with similar happy expressions on their faces along with their dragons.

"Not yet talking but you're already walking! El, my boy, you never cease to amaze us!" Edgar laughed as his son gurgled happily and grabbed at his fingers. "El, you're such a smart little one! You're going to do great things when you grow up, sweetheart…" Henna cooed and gently kissed El's button nose. Zenna then patted her baby brother's soft black curls and whispered, "You are _amazing_, baby brother…"

El giggled and gave Zenna a raspberry kiss. Toothless, Stryka and Serpent and Serpentine all cooed and nuzzled little El. Then Hiccup got an idea to let El exercise his newfound walking ability. Gently setting El down on the ground, Hiccup got Edgar, Henna and Zenna to stand on three different sides forming a square with him on the lower right, Edgar lower left, Henna upper left and Zenna on the upper right.

Hiccup smiled, patting El's soft black curls, and pointed at Edgar. "Go on over to your Daddy, buddy," he said to El gently. Giggling, El did as he was told and successfully walked over to his father. "That's my boy. El, you are incredible, my son. And I'm so proud," Edgar smiled and affectionately rubbed noses with his youngest son. El then walked on over to Henna who gave him a big hug. "There's my big boy!" Henna smiled softly and gently kissed El's pudgy cheeks. Then El looked at Zenna and smiled.

The one-eyed Dragon Doctor had the biggest grin on her face as she knelt down and held out her arms. "Come on, El! Big sister's here!" she called out encouragingly. El squealed and immediately began to run, his little legs pumping, over to his big sister Zenna.

But, suddenly, El tripped and fell flat on his face!

Edgar and Henna both gasped with fear as the dragons yelped as if they were the ones who had face planted. Zenna, on the other hand, anxiously held her breath as El slowly picked himself up. Back on his feet, El put his hands up to his face where he had a small bump on his forehead. But, instead of crying, El just laughed and continued running towards Zenna.

Zenna felt tears of joy and pride well up in her eye as her baby brother practically jumped into her waiting arms. Her baby brother was a tough kid, that's for sure.

Hiccup, Edgar and Henna could only beam with pride as El waved his little arms up at Zenna who fussed over his bumped forehead.

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**Ta-da! Little Elias II Stoick Fiersome can now walk! Bravo, baby boy! Bravo!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	14. Chapter 14

**This was requested by movielover48. It's a bit short but it's super sweet :) Enjoy**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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**Playtime with Stryka (Eleven Months Old)**

"Rawr!" Elias II Stoick Fiersome roared at his big sister's one-eyed Night Fury. Stryka gave the tot a gummy grin. "Raaaaaawwwrrrr!" El roared again, giggling as he tried to pounce on the dragoness. Stryka easily moved a few inches away from him. El pouted, unhappy that he couldn't scare Stryka with his fierce dragon impersonation.

Stryka then went over to El and licked his cheek. The little one laughed and patted the female Night Fury's snout. "Raaaawwrrr!" El roared again and Stryka pretended to be terrified. Whining, Stryka took a few steps back. "Rawr!" El then pounced on her! Stryka let out a fake roar and played dead, slumping on the ground with her eye closed. El's violet eyes widened and he worriedly poked Stryka in the belly. Stryka then opened her eye and surprised El with a tickle attack!

El shrieked with laughter and wiggled about as he tried to escape the one-eyed dragoness' onslaught of tickles. Stryka didn't let up and continued tickling El until he started hiccupping. "Hicc-up! Hicc! Hicc! Hicc-up!" El hiccupped in rapid succession before holding his breath to stop his hiccups like Zenna taught him to. Stryka watched as the little boy's face turned pink, then red…and, then, blue!

"_Brrrreeeaawtthheee! Breawthe! Breathe!_" Stryka yelped frantically as El flopped down on his back, getting oxygen deprived. El then opened his mouth and took a big gulp of air. He felt really lightheaded but, at least, he wasn't hiccupping anymore.

"I'm okway…" he mumbled before Stryka gently helped him up. Stryka crooned and nuzzled El, holding up her tail like a dangling toy for El to play with. "Yay!" El giggled and bounced on his toes to try and latch onto Stryka's tail, succeeding and swinging from the one-eyed female Night Fury's tail. Stryka smiled toothlessly and lifted El up onto her back and bounced, making the baby boy bounce as well. "Whee! Dwagwon pway horsey!" El squealed, Stryka warbling softly as they played all day.

They played tag, hide-and-seek, peek-a-boo, Dragon Rider and play wrestled all day long. At the end of the day, El was all tuckered out and curled up against Stryka as the one-eyed dragoness curled up around him, draping a wing over the little one for his blanket.

Before he nodded off, El said in his cute baby voice, "_I wuv wu, Stwykwa…_"

Stryka crooned and gently nuzzled the sleeping baby boy. "_I lowve ywou too, El…_" she warbled as she watched over the little Fiersome hatchling.

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**Yes, El can already talk. I'd put this one-shot about a few weeks after Thin Ice. This kid…is a prodigy. And more of El's prodigious development will be shown in later chapters. In the meantime, read and review!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	15. Chapter 15

**Movielover48, while I cannot write your request, I hope you and everyone else will enjoy this new addition to Milestones.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

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**A Genius (Twelve Months Old)**

"Da…Night Fuwy…is a member of da…Strrrike Class…Wid vice wike jaw stwength…so-nar abiwities…supweme accuwasee and intelwigence…and high fwying speed, it is con-see-dered to be one of the best dwagons out there…"

Fishlegs couldn't help but smile admiringly as Elias II Stoick Fiersome slowly read from the Book of Dragons. Edgar and Henna were assisting Zenna at the Dragon Clinic and everyone else was busy so he'd been tasked to babysit El that afternoon.

And Fishlegs immediately saw that little Elias II Stoick Fiersome was no ordinary baby boy. The toddler's intelligence was astounding to the young Ingerman and he wondered where El had gotten it from. But, when he thought about, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise considering that El's sister was one of the smartest people in the whole Barbaric Archipelago. Still, El never ceased to amaze those around him. Apart from learning how to walk and talk as well as a two-year-old child when he was only entering his first year of life, El could already read and write! While his pronunciation of words still needed a little work, El was able to understand what he was reading and his vocabulary was extensive.

"Uncka Fishwegs, is so-nar that roawing thing Toothwess and Stwykwa do whenevew they are in the dark?" El tilted his head up to look at the chubby Ingerman Viking. "That's right, El. Whenever a Night Fury's in a dark place like a cave or at night, they send out these special roars. The roars bounce off of any objects in front and the sound bounces back to the Night Fury's ears so they can detect the incoming object without even seeing it," Fishlegs nodded as the little tyke got comfy and leaned against his fat belly. "Can baby Night Fuwies do use so-nar, too?" El asked, his violet eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Fishlegs thoughtfully scratched his chin that was covered with short facial hair. "Hmmm…that is a good question, El. Until Toothless and Stryka decide to have hatchlings, we'll never quite know for sure if Night Fury babies are already capable of using sonar," he told the little boy. El nodded and looked at the Book of Dragons curiously. "When Toothwess and Stwykwa have babies, I wanna be da one to re-re-research them, okway?" he asked politely. "Okay," Fishlegs smiled and helped El turn the pages so he could read some more.

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That evening in the Great Hall, El played in a corner with the dragons while the Riders sat around the table. Fishlegs then decided to tell his friends about El. "I'm telling you! El's on a whole different level with his intelligence! He even distinguished the difference between a Monstrous Nightmare's flame and the Fireworm Queen's flame. His learning capabilities are astounding," Fishlegs looked slightly awed as he told his friends of his time babysitting El.

"You expect anything less from us Fiersomes? We value learning everything we can about the world," Zenna said proudly, happy to see that her baby brother's smarts were finally being noticed. "It's true. Zen's family was one of the smartest in the South," Eret nodded in agreement. Hiccup also smiled. "He is quite a little genius, isn't he?" he asked, looking at El who was petting the dragons and giving them belly rubs.

"Well, let's see how far El's come in terms of his knowledge," Astrid suggested. Shrugging, Zenna went over to El. "Hey, sweetie. My friends kind of want to ask you a few questions. Is that okay with you?" she asked politely. El smiled and nodded. Zenna then carried El over to her friends and set him down on the table. El looked curious as to what his big sister Zenna's friends wanted to ask him.

"Okay, buddy, first question: What is the shot limit of a Night Fury?" Hiccup asked with a smile. "Hypotheticawwy, six. But when sick wid Eel Pox or in Titan Mode, Night Fuwies can shoot out an awmost unlimitwed number of plasma bwasts. Their bwasts are colored red if they are affwicted with Eel Pox," El readily answered. Eret, Astrid and Fishlegs were impressed. "That's correct, El. You're really smart," Hiccup complimented his little nephew. "Thank you, Uncka Hiccup!" El giggled.

"Okay, how about this one. What's the value of negative zero, El?" Ruffnut asked the first question that popped into her head…which didn't really make much sense to her and her brother. "Nothing. It's a neutwal number. It has no vawue," El told her. "Whoa…he's right…Is he?" Tuffnut said in awe. "He is. I checked the math. Basically any number that has a negative has no value," Eret said, partially letting on his secret that he's a math genius.

Snotlout didn't look convinced and placed himself in between Astrid and Zenna. "Okay, little genius, let's see if you can answer _my _question. Who do you think looks better with me? Astrid or Zenna?" he asked, puffing out his chest and flexing his arms. Hiccup and Eret just looked at Snotlout with deadpan expressions. Astrid and Zenna sighed while Fishlegs and the Twins face palmed themselves.

El also looked at Snotlout with a deadpan look. "Really, Uncka Snotwout? _Really_?" he asked incredulously. Snotlout was a bit taken aback but easily regained composure. "Come on, El. Just answer the question," he told him. El's deadpan expression didn't change as he replied, "Neithew. Auntie Astrid's been dating Uncka Hiccup for five yeaws. And my sister onlwy likes Uncka Eret. Besydes, if you twied to couwt Auntie Astrid or Zennwa, Uncka Hiccup and Uncka Eret would beat you to a pulp."

Snotlout's jaw dropped open, shocked that the little boy already knew so much, while everyone else started laughing. "I told you El's a genius!" Zenna laughed as she picked up her baby brother and kissed his cute button nose. El wasn't really sure why him being a genius was such an important thing but, since his big sister and aunties and uncles were so impressed, he figured that it was a good thing to be a genius.

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**Some of the words are misspelled on purpose since El is still pretty young. And, yes, he is a little genius :)**

**Read and review whenever and whatever you want.**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	16. Chapter 16

**While this update is short, it is sweet and full of El interacting with the dragons fluff. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I OWN NOTHING**

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**Bonding with the Dragons (Thirteen Months Old)**

"Everyone, you have to see this!"

Valka excitedly burst into the Great Hall, where Hiccup was having a meeting with the council as well as with the seven Dragon Riders. "Sounds like your mother's got big news," Gobber quipped to Hiccup who turned his attention to his Mom, who looked around and saw that his son was doing something important.

"Oh! Um…are you all having a meeting? I-I'm sorry…I should probably get going…" Valka said, sheepish, and made a move to leave before Hiccup stopped her. "Mom, what is it?" the young Chief asked, wondering what's got his Mom in such a giddy move. Valka smiled at her son before looking at Zenna and her parents. "Well, I was looking after the dragons at the Academy when El toddled in and…oh, it'd be best if I just show you," she said. "Lead the way then, Auntie Valka!" Zenna said cheerfully. "Anything that involves our son is immediately something we'd love to know about," Edgar smiled. "Oh, what could El and the dragons be doing?" Henna wondered out loud.

Hiccup turned to the remaining council members, who all smiled since they knew that this was something very important. "Well we've gone over everything we needed to go over for today so, meeting adjourned!" Hiccup said cheerfully and left with his Mom along with the Fiersomes, Gobber and the other Dragon Riders following close behind.

Valka was all smiles as she led the group to the Berk Dragon Training Academy. There, Hiccup, Zenna, Henna, Edgar, Eret, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins and Gobber saw the most adorable and heartwarming sight.

Toothless, Stryka, Serpent and Serpentine, Cloudjumper, Skullcrusher, Grump, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug and Barf and Belch were all playing with little Elias II Stoick Fiersome together in the Academy. The sweet baby boy was giggling happily as he played tag with the dragons, squealing with delight as he and the dragons chased each other around.

"Barf and Bwelch!" El cooed, the Twins' Hideous Zippleback letting him play on his two necks like a kid on a swing set. "We do that, too!" Ruffnut laughed. "Yeah, but we do it extremely by dangling over the thin air," Tuffnut added and the two of them butted heads. "Meatwug!" El giggled, the Gronckle growling happily as the sweet kid gave her a hug. "Aw, that's so cute!" Fishlegs gushed. "Hoophan!" El squealed, patting Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare on the horns. "Don't flame up, don't flame up, don't flame up…" Snotlout chanted and breathed a sigh of relief when his dragon merely purred as El petted him.

"He's got a gift, I'm telling you all. I've never seen a child as young as El play with dragons so easily and that quickly," Valka remarked as El continued bonding with the dragons.

"Stowmfwy!" El squealed as he got a leather ball and played fetch with the Deadly Nadder. "Keep going, girl!" Astrid giggled as Stormfly happily chased after the ball El threw and always gave it back to him so they could play again. "Grrrump!" El excitedly toddled over to the Hotburple who gave him a lazy smile before falling asleep. "Och, Grumpy! Lad wants to play with you and you're ignoring 'im!" Gobber shook his head and laughed good-naturedly. "Skullcwusher!" El squealed, running after Eret's Rumblehorn as they played a chasing game around the Academy. "Go get him, little warrior! Skull, he's gaining on you!" Eret called after his Rumblehorn, who merely grunted and let El chase him around in play.

Zenna and her parents smiled widely, seeing that Valka was right. El had a knack for getting the dragons to bond with him and they all loved him. It was clear to the Fiersomes that when El grew up, he would become a fine Dragon Trainer and a great Dragon Rider.

"Cwoudjumpew!" El cooed to Valka's Stormcutter. Cloudjumper was already putty in El's hands, flipping his face upside down and nuzzling him. Valka merely smiled as El giggled and hugged Cloudjumper's nose. Serpent and Serpentine then entwined his necks around El. "Sewpwent and Sewpwentiwne…" El cooed, hugging his parents' Zippleback. Edgar and Henna both went, "Awww!" at the sweet sight.

That's when El began to feel sleepy. "Toofless…Stwykwa…" he yawned. Hiccup and Zenna's two Night Furies immediately curled up around the little Fiersome. With a sleepy smile, El snuggled into their warm black scales and fell asleep.

Zenna looked at Hiccup and smiled. "My brother sure has a way with dragons, doesn't he, Hicc?" she asked knowingly. "He sure does Zen, he sure does," Hiccup nodded, looking at his mother. Valka smiled at the adorable sight of all the dragons deciding to take a nap with El. "He'll grow up to be a friend to all dragons…I'm sure of it…" she said, smiling.

Little did they all know that when El grew up, he would become exactly just that.

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**Yes, El's such a sweetheart even the dragons can't resist him :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry if this took so long. I've been busy with a lot of things. To tell you guys the truth, I'm going to start preparatory classes in College Algebra next week in preparation for Freshman College in August so I might not always be able to work on my fanfics every day.**

**But, while official classes haven't started, I'm gonna do my best to make the most of what time I have left and churn out as many stories as I can.**

**In the meantime, here's a little bit of Gobber's wisdom for all of you. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD!**

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**Temper Tantrum (Fourteen Months Old)**

"I wanna go!"

"Now, El, you know you can't join the other children yet in Dragon Training…"

"No! I wanna go!"

"Elias II Stoick Fiersome, see here, young man, you cannot go to Dragon Training. You're still too young."

"No! No! No! I wanna go! I wanna go! I WANNA GOOOO!"

Vikings in the vicinity all covered their ears as they passed by the Fiersome house. Inside, Edgar and Henna Fiersome were all trying to have their youngest child, little Elias II Stoick Fiersome, to take a nap. But the little one wanted to go to the Berk Dragon Training Academy where his big sister Zenna was currently teaching a Dragon Training class for all the kids in Berk.

"I wanna go!" El howled for the umpteenth time, hot angry tears welling up in his brilliant violet eyes. "Elias II Stoick Fiersome, for the last time, you're still too young to attend Dragon Training! Now be a good boy and take a nap!" Henna said sternly. El then burst into tears, wildly flailing his arms about.

That's when Gobber knocked on the door. Edgar wearily answered it and saw the old blacksmith standing there with a rather bored expression on his face. "Ah, Gobber! Uh…I'm afraid you came at a bad time…" Edgar said sheepishly as El let out another wail. "I can see that. Trouble putting the little bugger to bed, eh?" Gobber asked. "He wants to participate in Dragon Training and we said no. Now he's throwing a terrible tantrum…" Henna sighed. "I wanna go Dwagon Twainwing!" El shrieked.

Letting himself in, Gobber went up to the little boy and smiled. "Now, now, El, a true warrior never makes a huge fuss over anything. You want to go Dragon Training?" he asked him. El stopped wailing and nodded, sniffling. "Alright, then, but before you do, I need to show you something," Gobber told him and picked the toddler up.

"Gobber, what are you planning?" Henna asked, hoping that the two-limbed blacksmith wasn't going to do anything that could possible put her sweet baby in danger. "Follow me to the Academy, you two. This is something you both need to see as well," Gobber advised the two parents. Looking at each other, Henna and Edgar shrugged and followed Gobber who was holding their son.

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"Woohoo! Yeah, baby!" "Terror from above! Yaaaahoohoohoo!"

Hiccup and Zenna shrieked with delight as they opened their flight suits' wings and solo glided over the dome of the Berk Dragon Training Academy. Toothless and Stryka easily glided right alongside them, making sure that nothing would happen to their Riders. The two Night Fury Riders then proceeded to do some tricks. Hiccup did a few spins, snapping his wings. Zenna also did a few tricks of her own, flipping herself upside down alongside Stryka.

"After so many attempts, we're finally doing it, Zen! Yaaahooo!" Hiccup hollered. "Let all those who doubted we could fly like dragons rue this day!" Zenna laughed as they safely landed on their Night Furies' backs.

* * *

"Ooohhh…" El cooed in amazement as he watched his big sister Zenna and Uncle Hiccup soar through the clouds on their own for a few minutes and, then, continued flying on Toothless and Stryka. Even Edgar and Henna looked impressed.

Gobber smiled and then tapped the little boy's chin. "You wanna know how your sister and the Chief got so good?" he asked El. The youngest Fiersome nodded eagerly. "A lot of hard work, time, practice…and sacrifice. El, as much as you want to experience the thrills of becoming a Dragon Trainer, you're still a little too young to be losing limbs and eyes like those two up there. On top of that, you still haven't found a dragon to bond with," Gobber said seriously. El pouted at the two-limbed blacksmith/Dragon Dentist. "But I'm fwiends with _all _the dragons!" he complained.

"Aye, I know that, lad. But to become a _real _Dragon Trainer, you need to form a _bond_ – a connection that goes beyond playtime and is deeply-rooted within both your heart and the dragon's," Gobber told the little baby boy wisely. El looked thoughtful but didn't say anything.

Turning to Edgar and Henna, Gobber smiled. "And as for you two, I know you're both worried for El. But give the wee one some credit. He's gotten farther than any baby his age in terms of smarts. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow…but he _will _be one of the youngest _and _one of the most promising Dragon Trainers of the next generation. Only two things El's lacking is physical size and a dragon of his own!" he chuckled. Slowly, Edgar and Henna nodded in understanding.

They never told anyone that they had secretly worried that El would encounter the same kind of dangers Zenna had faced alongside Hiccup in the past. But Gobber's wise words opened their eyes to the truth that there was no stopping El from growing up. And, yes, Zenna had lost an eye but she had grown up to be one of the best in Berk…and there was no doubt that El was going to become one of the best as well.

Then a yawn caught the three adults' attention. El, tired from his temper tantrum earlier, settled down in Gobber's arms to take his afternoon nap. And judging by the way he was smiling in his sleep, Edgar, Henna and Gobber knew that he was dreaming of becoming a great Dragon Trainer.

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**Trying to keep it short but sweet. Heads up, I'm planning on posting a super long one-shot soon. Here's the summary:**

"**Date"**

**(Takes three months after HTTYD 2) Zenna and Eret decide to go on a date…not knowing that their friends have also decided to spy on them :D**

**Anyways, read and review!**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry if I haven't posted anything in Milestones lately. I've been busy with school nowadays. Anyways, I hope u guys like this.**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD!**

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**Baby's First Birthday (One Year Old)**

Elias II Stoick Fiersome's first birthday wasn't really a big celebration but to the little guy, it sure was.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, sweet brother…Happy birthday to _yoooouuu_!" Zenna practically woke him up with a birthday serenade that very morning.

El yawned and gave his big sister a sleepy smile. "You're officially one whole year old, El! Let's celebrate! Yaaaay!" Zenna cheered, lifting her sweet baby brother out of the crib and dancing around the room with him. El squealed with delight and patted his sister's cheeks with his little hands. "And since it's your birthday, we get to have cake!" Zenna grinned. "Yay! Cake!" El giggled as his sister brought him downstairs.

"Happy Birthday, my little man!" Edgar boomed, giving El an affectionate noogie. Henna smiled brightly as she set a little chocolate cake with a little candle on top. "Make a wish, sweetheart. Anything your sweet little heart desires," she smiled lovingly as Zenna set El down on his high chair. El smiled, knowing exactly what he wanted for his first birthday, and blew out the candle. "What'd you wish for, little bro?" Zenna asked curiously. "A helmet," El answered politely.

That made Henna, Edgar and Zenna look at each other in surprise.

"A helmet? Like the one the Chief wears?" Edgar asked his son. "No…I wanna dif-fer-ent helmet! Something u-u-unique!" El stuttered. "Well, what kind of _unique _helmet would you like, dear?" Henna asked, amused. El thoughtfully put his hands on his head, his thinking pose.

After a minute or two, El took his hands off his head and said, "I don't know…" slightly disappointed.

Zenna smiled and gently kissed El on his forehead. "You'll find inspiration for your unique helmet, El. But, right now, you gotta eat a nice big breakfast. Birthday boys need their energy to celebrate their first birthdays, after all," she told him before she and her family proceeded to eat a good and hearty breakfast.

El loved the little chocolate cake and, after he had licked his plate clean, he looked at his mother with a cute puppy dog face. "Can I have more cake please, Mama?" he asked sweetly. Henna smiled, knowing that her baby boy had inherited his big sister's pathological obsession with chocolate, and wagged a finger. "We'll have an even bigger cake _later_, El. For now, you need to eat some of this oatmeal…" she told him gently as she placed a little bowl of oatmeal in front of El.

The littlest Fiersome grinned, excited at the possibility of getting more cake later, and quickly finished his oatmeal. "Zenna! Let's play with Stryka!" he giggled, waving his little arms up in the air. The Dragon Doctor smiled and helped El get out of his high chair.

Stryka was taking a catnap when the two left the house. "Stryka, let's play!" El giggled, waking the one-eyed Night Fury up. Stryka yawned and, then, perked up when she saw her Rider's little brother and cooed. El smiled and petted Stryka, the dragoness crooning softly. Then El looked closely at Stryka's ears and his eyes lit up. "Zenna! I want a Night Fury helmet!" he exclaimed excitedly. Zenna immediately caught on her baby brother's idea and smiled. "A helmet that makes you look like a Night Fury! El, that is so creative!" she gushed.

"Let's go see Grandpa Gobber!" El squealed. "Okay!" Zenna smiled, picking El up and getting on Stryka. Opening her wings, Stryka flew up into the air. "Whee! I'm flying! Yay!" El shrieked with delight as they flew the short distance to Gobber's Dragon Armory. Eret was there, busy with saddle orders when the trio dropped in.

"Okay, 43! High seater with built-in crossbow!" the ex-trapper held up a new saddle he had made. "That's me!" Mulch hollered, running up to the front of the line. Eret handed him the saddle and Mulch tipped a few pieces of hack silver into his palm. "Uncle Eret!" El called out, waving his tiny arms at the man. "Just a moment, folks," Eret excused himself and went over to El and Zenna. "Hey there, love," Eret smiled at Zenna who giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "And a very Happy Birthday to _you_, little warrior!" Eret greeted El, tousling the toddler's black curls.

Gobber then shouted, "Eret, we've got orders up to my skivvies! Get back to work!" as the line grew longer. "Yikes, you're busy," Zenna remarked. "Yeah…" Eret sighed, glancing at the long line. "Uncle Eret, I want a Night Fury helmet!" El said excitedly. "El, you forgot something," Zenna reminded him. "Oh, I mean, I would like a Night Fury helmet _please_," El corrected himself.

Eret looked a bit unsure. "Night Fury helmet…I don't know…Gobber and I have never made a helmet that looks like the top of Stryka's head. Plus, we're pretty busy at the moment…" he said thoughtfully. El's face fell and his shoulders sagged. Seeing this, Eret quickly came up with an idea. "Okay, El, how about this? You go see Hiccup and ask him to help you design your helmet. Come to the Armory later and Gobber and I'll see what we can do. Sound good?" he suggested.

El immediately brightened up and said, "Yes!" toddling over to Eret and hugging his leg, which was as high as he could reach. Eret laughed and picked the little boy up to give him a hug. Zenna smiled gratefully at her boyfriend as she took El back. "We'll see you later once we've come up with a design," she told Eret. "Looking forward to it," Eret smiled before heading back to work.

"See you later, Uncle Eret!" El waved bye-bye. "See you later, El! And Happy Birthday!" Eret cheerfully waved back.

Hiccup's house wasn't too far from the Dragon Armory so Zenna and Stryka decided to just walk, the former of the two holding an excited little boy in her arms. "I wanna Night Fury helmet so I can pretend to be a Night Fury like Toothless and Stryka!" El giggled in his big sister Zenna's arms.

"And you're gonna go pull some pranks on the villagers?" Zenna asked coyly. "Maybe…" El grinned cheekily as they reached the Haddock residence. Hiccup was outside with Toothless, making a few modifications to the Night Fury's tail fin when Zenna set El down on the ground and the littlest Fiersome sprinted over to the Chief and grappled with his prosthetic leg.

"Hi, Uncle Hiccup!" El cooed adorably. Looking down and seeing his sweet nephew, Hiccup grinned and made the final adjustments to Toothless' tail before picking El up. "Hey, birthday boy! How's your special day so far?" he smiled, bouncing El on his lap. "Really great! Mama and Papa gave me this little chocolate cake with a candle for breakfast, Stryka and I played tag in the front yard and I'm gonna get an even _bigger_ chocolate cake later!" El said enthusiastically, making expressive hand gestures to show his excitement.

Hiccup smiled and playfully ruffled El's curly black hair. "That's great, buddy! Did you make a wish on your little birthday cake this morning?" he asked. "Uh-huh! I wanna get a Night Fury helmet. One that looks like Toothless' head. Uncle Eret said he and Grandpa Gobber will help me make it after Zenna and I made a design. Can you help us?" El asked, looking up at his Uncle Hiccup with big pleading eyes. "Please, Hicc? It's the only thing he wants for his birthday…_Pleeeeaaaaaassssseee_?" Zenna asked, putting on her best puppy dog face. Even Toothless and Stryka looked to the young Chief with big, pleading, adorable green orbs.

Hiccup knew that he was no match for four darn cute faces and sighed. "Good thing I don't have much to do today," he said and Zenna, El, Toothless and Stryka all cheered, "_YES!_"

For two whole hours, Hiccup and El sat on the grass and drew and drew and drew. El wanted his helmet to look just like a Night Fury's head so he and Hiccup had to design the helmet very carefully while looking at Toothless and Stryka as references. Finally the design was complete and El immediately brought it to the Armory, where Eret marveled at the design.

"I must say, El. This is quite a unique helmet," the former dragon trapper said as he carefully measured El's head. "A special helmet for a special lad's special day," Gobber chuckled as Eret handed him the measurements and, along with Hiccup, got to work.

* * *

A few hours later…

"Can I open my eyes now?" El said excitedly, his eyes shut and hands over them for good measure, while Zenna propped up a mirror in front of him. "Okay, El. Take a look," the one-eyed Dragon Doctor smiled. Elias II Stoick Fiersome opened his eyes and gasped. "You like it, buddy?" Hiccup asked hopefully. El's whole face lit up with a super big smile. "_I LOVE IT! _Thank you, Uncle Hiccup! Thank you, Uncle Eret! Thank you, Grandpa Gobber! This is the best helmet ever!" he giggled.

Indeed, El's helmet was something else. It was made of high-quality Gronckle Iron and had been forged into the likeness of the top of a Night Fury's head. And, to add to the helmet's uniqueness, black scales Toothless and Stryka had shed were glued onto the helmet.

"Wait till Mama and Papa see this…" Zenna grinned.

"Sweet Freyja, El, you look so adorable!"

Turning around, the gang could see Henna and Edgar beaming at little El with Valka and the rest of the Dragon Riders holding up a cake for the birthday boy. "Now _that _is quite the helmet. Gobber, you and Eret have outdone yourselves," Edgar smiled. "Actually, Dad, El designed the helmet," Zenna told him. "With some help from me of course," Hiccup grinned. Toothless and Stryka came to the Armory and El toddled over to them. "I'm a Night Fury! _Rooooaarr!_" the little Fiersome hatchling giggled. Both Night Furies cooed and nuzzled El lovingly as if he were their own hatchling.

"Already walking, talking and coming up with great ideas…They grow up so fast," Eret chuckled. "It won't be long now until he's a Dragon Rider…" Zenna sighed, leaning against him. "And he just might be better than all of us combined…El's gonna do great things, I'm sure of that," Hiccup nodded in agreement as they watched El blow out the candle on his birthday cake.

That night, after a small but incredibly fun party, one-year-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome jumped into bed and took off his helmet. "Best birthday ever…" he yawned, shaking his curly black hair before he fell asleep with his helmet clutched close to his chest.

The next thing El knew, he was playing in a beautiful garden with his big brother Eli and Grand Uncle Stoick.

"Happy Birthday, little brother!" Elias laughed as he scooped El up into his arms and held him up high. Stoick laughed and playfully ruffled the little boy's curly black hair. "You're growing up to be a fine lad, little El. I am so proud of you," he smiled gently. "Thank you, Grand Uncle Stoick!" El giggled and shrieked with laughter as Elias tickled him. "Look at you! Already a year old and you're already proving yourself to be a promising Dragon Trainer!" Elias smiled. "I can't wait to be one!" El giggled as the three of them continued to play.

As he dreamed, Elias II Stoick Fiersome smiled, knowing that he would never forget his first birthday.

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**Read and Review! Those two things fuel my writing tanks :D**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys. Sorry if I haven't updated this in a long while. Lots of things going on in my life. But I hope this awesome update makes it up to all of you :)**

**Oh yeah, I've also updated my profile with some new stuff. Namely the following:**

**More songs added to my "Music for My Ships" section. Incidentally, does the song "Trouble" by Iggy Azalea ft. Jennifer Hudson make you think about Zenna and how she seems to always go for the bad boy types? 'Cause I sure do :D**

**A section that talks about my OCs development and concepts for their character.**

**Hope u guys like it. Now, on with the story!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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**Dragon Training (One-Year-and-a-Half)**

El curiously looked at his Mama and Papa as they had a discussion with his big sister Zenna. From what he could understand, Mama and Papa had to go on a fishing trip while Zenna had a class to teach at the Berk Dragon Training Academy. What confused El was who was going to look after him. Sure, he can go take a nap for as long as he wanted and could but he was still going to need help with some things every now and then, like getting a snack or having his diaper changed.

El just decided to wait and see what happened next.

"All of my friends are off on a hunting trip with Hiccup, Mom and Dad. They won't be back until after my class. Can't you two take El with you?" Zenna asked her parents. "Sorry, love, but this fishing trip's going quite the distance. El can't handle long sea voyages just yet," Edgar told her gently. "And, besides, you'll only be teaching the young ones. There's nothing dangerous about that, right?" Henna asked Zenna.

The one-eyed Dragon Doctor shuffled her feet apprehensively. "Well, no. But, the thing is, I'll be introducing the Scuttleclaw hatchlings to the students. And, take my word for it, those little guys are _impossible _to control. I'm just worried that El might get hurt…" she said worriedly. "I'll be careful Zennwa," El piped up from his high chair. Edgar and Henna both chuckled, turning to their eldest daughter. "It'll be fine, love. Your father and I both know that you would never let anything happen to El," Henna reassured her daughter. "And this is the opportunity you and El have been waiting for. You've been telling us that you can't wait for him to start Dragon Training and El's been looking forward to this moment his entire life, which is really saying something. We might as well let him start early," Edgar chuckled.

Zenna gave in and turned to her baby brother. The littlest Fiersome smiled at his big sister. "You ready to start Dragon Training, El?" Zenna asked him softly. "Yes!" El replied, throwing his hands up in the air.

Thirty minutes later, little Elias II Stoick Fiersome was ready for his first day of Dragon Training. With a well-fed belly and a new diaper, El excitedly put on the Night Fury he got on his first birthday and Eret, his stuffed Night Fury.

"Dragon Training!" the little boy giggled and took his big sister's hand. "Have fun, you two!" Henna and Edgar bade them goodbye as they left the house, Stryka on their heels. "We will! Take care, Mom and Dad! See you later!" Zenna cheerily waved goodbye to her parents. "Bye, Mama! Bye, Papa! I wuv you!" El said goodbye to his parents as well as he and his big sister Zenna and Stryka went on their way.

On their way to the Academy, many of the villagers stopped whatever they were doing to greet the Dragon Doctor and coo adorably at El. Zenna giggled a bit as her baby brother shyly smiled and said, "Hello…" while hiding behind her.

When they arrived at the Berk Dragon Training Academy, Gustav Larson ran up to greet them. "Morning, Dr. Zenna!" the now 15-year-old Viking boy greeted the one-eyed Dragon Doctor and saluted Stryka, who purred, before noticing little El clinging to his big sister's leg. "Hello, El," Gustav smiled gently at the little boy. "Hi, Gustav!" El giggled.

"Are the other trainees here?" Zenna asked Gustav, who was the leader of all the new recruits in the Academy. "All present and accounted for, Dr. Zenna. They're really excited to meet the Scuttleclaws," Gustav reported. "Scuddleclaws!" El repeated, slightly mispronouncing the dragon's name due to his still developing speech skills.

Zenna smiled, loving her baby brother's enthusiasm, and turned to Gustav. "Well, we better not keep them waiting," she said primly. With El holding her hand, Zenna entered the arena with Gustav and Stryka.

Already the future Dragon Trainers and Dragon Riders were excitedly crowding around one of the pens where the baby Scuttleclaws were currently hanging out in. Some of them tried to fly out of the pen but instantly (_and amazingly_) behaved the minute Stryka, the Alpha's mate, came inside and fixed her one-eye on them sternly.

"Good morning, class!" Zenna greeted the five young Vikings who cheerfully greeted her, "Good morning, Dr. Fiersome!"

El giggled and waved hi to the students as well. "Oh, look! Dr. Fiersome brought her baby brother with her today!" an 11-year-old girl with brown curls named Allie gushed. "He's so cute!" Allie's best friend, a redhead named Siggy, squealed. El, a little shy, hid behind Gustav. Zenna smiled. "Yes, as you guys can see, we have a new member in our class. So I want all of you to set a good example for El, okay? No roughhousing, alright?" she reminded her students gently. "She's looking at you two, Magnus and Knut," Gustav told the black haired boys who were Hoark's sons. "We understand, Dr. Fiersome," Magnus said sheepishly. "No roughhousing, we got it," Knut said in agreement.

Then Zenna noticed a familiar face watching her and El with curious eyes. "Hey there, Kayla," Zenna smiled at the little girl with short strawberry-blonde hair. "Hi, Dr. Zenna," Kayla said shyly. Little Kayla was Zenna's favorite student. Not only was she one of the brightest students in the junior division, Kayla was also pretty close to Eret who had saved her during the battle with Drago. "Hello, El," Kayla greeted Zenna's baby brother with a smile. "Kaywa!" El squealed, toddling over to the little girl and gave her a hug. Zenna smiled as Kayla picked El up, slightly staggering. "You're heavy!" Kayla giggled while El cooed and clapped his little hands.

Then Zenna went to the baby Scuttleclaws' pen. "Let's get started everyone!" she called out and all the students gathered around.

The lesson was filled with laughter and smiles as the students gamely answered Zenna's questions about the Scuttleclaws. And when the rambunctious little dragons were set loose, all the kids eagerly rushed over to play with them. With Stryka keeping her eye on them, the baby Scuttleclaws were well-behaved for once.

"Scuddleclaws!" El squealed and toddled over to a group of them. Instantly the Scuttleclaws shifted their attention to the little human hatchling cooing at them. One Scuttleclaw gave El a big lick that made him laugh merrily and he reached out to pet it.

"Sooo cuuuttee!" Allie and Siggy gushed. Magnus and Knut smiled in agreement. "El's got a natural bond with them," Gustav remarked. "I think he's going to be a really great Dragon Rider, Dr. Zenna," Kayla looked up at the one-eyed Dragon Doctor with a grin. Zenna smiled as El cooed and cuddled with the baby Scuttleclaws. She could already tell that her sweet baby brother would become a friend to all dragons…

"_Fly!_" El suddenly giggled.

Before anyone could move, one Scuttleclaw lifted El up by the back of his tunic and placed him on another Scuttleclaw, which promptly flew out of the Academy with him!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Zenna screamed in horror, her students covering their ears. Luckily Stryka snapped her out of it with a light whack to the head using her tail.

"Follow that Scuttleclaw!" Gustav shouted and mounted Fanghook, his Monstrous Nightmare, and took off. Then Kayla and the rest of the trainees mounted the other Scuttleclaws and took off as well! "No! Wait! They're untrainable, remember? _Un__trainable_!" Zenna frantically shouted but her students were already gone. Stryka warbled as Zenna pulled at her hair in a panic. "Oh, Holy Shields, Mom and Dad are going to kill me!" the one-eyed Dragon Doctor moaned. Stryka sighed and nudged Zenna before lowering herself down.

"Right…Get El and all the students back before someone finds out…" Zenna muttered, calming down a bit, and mounted the one-eyed Night Fury, flying off in the direction El and the students had gone.

* * *

"Wheeeeeeee!" El squealed in delight as his Scuttleclaw friend whizzed around Berk. The Scuttleclaw was very careful in flying so it wouldn't drop the little boy but it also had great fun whenever El said, "Faster!" and sped up, El shrieking in delight. "Again! Again!" El clapped his hands before a large group of dragons, consisting of Fanghook and the rest of the Scuttleclaws, caught up with him.

"El, get off that Scuttleclaw this instant!" Gustav ordered firmly. "Why?" El cocked his head, confused. "Just please get off the dragon," Gustav sighed. "_No_!" El pouted, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Please, El? Zenna's worried…" Kayla pleaded with the little boy. But little El still wanted to fly. "_No_! Fly again!" he commanded his Scuttleclaw steed.

Squawking merrily, the Scuttleclaw sped up and left Gustav and the other trainees behind. "Wow…" Magnus said in awe. "Whoa…" Knut nodded in agreement. "El's stubborn," Allie remarked. "_Very _stubborn," Siggy added. Sighing, Gustav and Kayla got everyone to give chase. Little did they know that Zenna and Stryka were gaining on them.

In just a few beats of Stryka's wings, Zenna finally caught up with her students. "Normally I'd give you guys a lecture about disobedience and reckless riding but, now, we have more pressing matters to attend to," Zenna said grimly. "Like getting your stubborn little brother back safe on the ground before anybody finds out?" Gustav asked innocently. "Exactly," Zenna nodded before seeing that all the trainees were doing pretty well in controlling the Scuttleclaws.

'_They'll make good Riders for sure…_' Zenna thought with pride. Then she got down to business. "I want you guys to split into two teams of three. We're gonna try surrounding El and his Scuttleclaw. Gustav, you're with Knut and Siggy – left flank. Kayla, you, Magnus and Allie form the right. _Move out_!" Zenna commanded. "M'am, yes, m'am!" the six members of the Dragon Training Academy split up and flew into position.

"Let's get ahead of them, Stryka," Zenna told her draconian sister. Growling with determination, Stryka sped up.

* * *

Meanwhile, El was having the time of his life. He even got his Scuttleclaw to do some tricks like upward and downward spirals!

"Wheee! More! More!" El giggled. He and his Scuttleclaw were just about to do more tricks before they were suddenly surrounded! "Uh oh…" El mumbled before a black streak whizzed by, picking him off the Scuttleclaw's back. El immediately began to whine in protest before quieting down when he realized that it had been his big sister who had snatched him from his ride. Zenna had a stern face on as she lifted El up onto her lap. Stryka let out a huff, commanding the Scuttleclaws to go back to the Academy.

"Good work surrounding them, guys!" Zenna called out to Gustav, Kayla, Allie, Siggy, Magnus and Knut before giving El a sharp look. "Elias II Stoick Fiersome, just what did you think you were doing?" she asked, her one violet eye narrowed. El sheepishly took off his helmet and covered his face with it. "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you, young man," Zenna told him firmly. "I was riding a dragon…" El said timidly. "Did I give you permission to ride a dragon, El?" Zenna asked him as they flew back to the Academy. "What's pew-mish-on?" El crinkled his eyebrows. "Per-mis-sion is when someone lets you do something after you've asked that person. Now did I give you my _permission _to go dragon riding?" Zenna lectured her baby brother. El made a sad face and shook his head.

Stryka then landed in the Academy where Gustav and the other students were herding the Scuttleclaws back into their pen. El hopped off of his sister's lap before hopping off of the saddle.

"Zennwa…are you mad at me?" he asked quietly. Zenna's face softened and she gently picked up her little brother and cradled him in her arms. "No, El, of course not. I could never stay mad at you. But I was really worried when you just took off like that. If you had gotten hurt, I would never forgive myself," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Zennwa…" El apologized sincerely. "I forgive you, El," Zenna smiled, kissing El's button nose.

The Scuttleclaws chattered noisily until El toddled over to them. The rambunctious baby dragons immediately quieted down.

That's when Zenna got an idea.

Opening the pens and locking down the exit on one side of the arena, Zenna turned to her students. "Who's up for some Dragon Riding?" she asked with an excited smile. "_Me!_" El, Gustav, Kayla, Magnus, Knut, Allie and Siggy squealed.

* * *

Not long after, Edgar and Henna returned from their fishing trip along with Hiccup and the rest of the Dragon Riders. With great baskets of fish and meat for the village's food supply, the company of nine walked into town to be greeted by Gobber, who promptly herded them to the Academy.

Imagine their surprise when they saw all six students of the Junior Dragon Training class riding on the so-called '_uncontrollable_' Scuttleclaw hatchlings like professional Dragon Riders _and _being led by little one-and-a-half-year-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome?

"Up!" El chirped and the Scuttleclaws soared up to the top of the arena. "Down!" At El's command, the Scuttleclaws dove down. "Tricks!" El shouted and a dazzling display of fancy somersaults and spirals and spins followed before El said, "Land!" and the Scuttleclaw hatchlings landed in a straight line in front of their stunned audience.

Zenna beamed proudly at El before looking at Hiccup, who was just staring at El with his jaw dropping open. "Yeah, apparently the baby Scuttleclaws don't listen to anyone…except for my baby brother," Zenna smiled as her little brother, not even two-years-old, toddled over to his family.

Edgar was the first to speak. "Um…well…how was Dragon Training, son?" he asked awkwardly. "It was fun! When can I go again, Papa?" El giggled while Zenna sighed and smiled knowingly.

That day, Elias II Stoick Fiersome officially became the youngest student in the history of the Berk Dragon Training Academy.

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**The next chapter will be the last, I'm afraid, but it will have some surprises ;)**

**By the way, get excited for RACE TO THE EDGE!**

**And read and review! Those two things make me very happy ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


	20. Chapter 20

**Well, guys, here's the final chapter of Milestones. Prepare to be surprised because this involved a pretty big time skip. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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**What the Future Holds (Final Chapter)**

_Sixteen years after the defeat of Drago Bludvist…_

"Uncle El! Uncle El!"

Sixteen-year-old Elias II Stoick Fiersome looked up from his book to see a young girl, 12-years-old, with long black hair running up to him. El smiled as the girl practically tackled him in a hug. The young girl looked up with him with a very unique pair of eyes. The left eye was deep violet in color while the right eye was a rich brown color. The young girl was _Gyda Lagertha Fiersome Lothbrok_, the youngest child and only daughter of El's big sister Zenna and his Uncle Eret.

El smiled and affectionately ruffled the young girl's hair. "Come on, _GyLa_, you know I'm too young to be called uncle," he grinned at his niece, using the nickname he and Gyda's older brothers had come up with the day she was born. "Yeah, but you're Mama's brother. So, in terms of family relations, you _are _my Uncle El," GyLa pointed out. El laughed again, putting away his book.

Gyda Lagertha, or GyLa as she was affectionately called by everyone else, was the spitting image of her mother from head-to-toe. Her eyes were what made almost everyone who met her do a double take. Every now and then, GyLa's unique eyes would be the object of ridicule for her and that sometimes affected her self-confidence. But like her mother, Zenna, GyLa still had tons of confidence to be herself and marched to the beat of her own drum. And whenever she became stubborn, it became apparent that she got most of it from her father, Eret.

"Uncle Hiccup is looking for you. He and everyone else are at the Great Hall," GyLa told El. Nodding El let out a whistle and said, "Hiccup, we're needed, buddy!"

Hiccup, El's Night Fury, trotted out from behind the Fiersome house and wagged his tail. "Did Uncle Hiccup tell you why I need to go see him?" El raised an eyebrow at his niece. GyLa twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and shook her head. "No idea. But Mama and Papa said that it's something serious and they need you with them," she shrugged.

Sighing, El looked up at the sky for a second. As far as he can recall, he didn't really do anything to make his Uncle Hiccup, the Chief of Berk, summon him. Sure there was the time he had experimented in Heather's laboratory without permission and nearly blew the place sky high but it didn't really require a lecture from the Chief…

Deciding to just walk, El nodded. "Thanks, GyLa…By the way, where are your brothers?" he asked. "They're helping Grandpa Gobber in the Armory. I think Stoick and Audrey are there too," GyLa replied. "Well, I gotta go pick up my sword anyway. Later, GyLa," El smiled, ruffling his niece's hair. "Later!" GyLa chirped and went off to pick flowers. El smiled, noticing his big sister Zenna's battle sticks securely strapped to the young girl's back before wondering what could possibly be so serious for the Chief and the council to need him.

"Let's go walking, Hiccup," El grinned, his best friend warbling happily. Hiccup smiled a toothless smile and followed him.

* * *

El had grown into a strong, tall lad of sixteen, becoming quite a heartthrob among most of the village girls. His curly black baby hair had naturally flattened out over the years and always looked mussed up but was, admittedly, rather attractive and framed his face pretty well. He had a lean and wiry build but his shoulders were broad and he had a rather decent amount of muscle, gained from years of dragon training, dragon riding and sword fighting with his Uncle Hiccup and Uncle Eret. El looked exactly like his deceased older brother, Elias, but his gleaming, intelligent violet almond-shaped eyes came from his big sister.

And El was now one of the best Dragon Riders on the island. With Hiccup, Toothless and Stryka's first hatchling, El had risen up to become a true prodigy. His intelligence had time and again been remarked to be on par with Fishlegs', Hiccup's and Zenna's combined and he excelled in, pretty much, everything from blacksmithing, sword fighting, saddle making, dragon training and dragon riding. Truly, El was something else and had grown to become one of the most-respected members of the community.

Walking through the village and saying hello to the people, El noticed _Buffnut and_ _Gruffnut_, Ruffnut and Fishlegs' fraternal twin boys, perched on one of the roofs of the many houses surrounding the village plaza with a barrel full of water. Seeing that the boys' targets down below were _Emily and Matilda_, Tuffnut and Olga's daughters, El managed to get Buffnut and Gruffnut's attention with a warning growl from Hiccup.

Buffnut and Gruffnut, both sporting long, blond braided hair, gulped nervously. That's when Emily and Matilda looked up and saw their two cousins about to pull a prank on them! "Buff! Gruff!" Emily, the older of the two girls by one year, screeched at them, pulling at her pigtails indignantly. "When we tell Aunt Ruff and Uncle Fish, you guys are so dead!" Matilda shouted at them. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad!" Buffnut, the slightly chubbier of the two pleaded. "We're already grounded!" Gruffnut groaned, taking off his helmet as a peace offering to the two girls, who had been busy skinning some furs their mother needed for the shop.

"If you don't want your cousins to squeal on you two then I suggest that both of you get off that roof, empty that barrel, return the barrel to wherever you guys found it, and get going before your parents find out," El advised them, Hiccup letting out a snort. "Yes, El…" Buffnut and Gruffnut both said sheepishly and scrambled off the roof, accidentally tipping the barrel over and splashing all of the water on themselves!

Emily and Matilda both giggled as their cousins sloshed back home before turning to El, who had an amused grin on his face. "Thanks, El!" Matilda chirped. "We owe you and Hiccup big time!" Emily smiled. "Don't mention it, girls! Careful with those knives!" El said, referring to the sharp knives the girls were using to skin furs. "We will!" "We can practically skin stuff with our eyes closed!" Emily and Matilda said as El and Hiccup continued on their way.

Making their way to the Dragon Armory, El and Hiccup were greeted by Gobber. "Hi, Grandpa Gobber!" El grinned. "Ah, El! Right on schedule! Stoick, that sword better be well-sharpened, lad!" the old blacksmith hollered. "In a second, Gobber!" _Stoick Finn Hofferson-Haddock_, Chief Hiccup and Astrid's 13-year-old son, shouted and quickly placed a sword to the grindstone and sharpened it.

_Audrey Hofferson Haddock_, Stoick's fraternal twin sister, popped out from behind a workbench with a bunch of papers. "Hey, Audrey," El greeted the 13-year-old girl who smiled. "Hi, El," Audrey grinned.

Stoick had inherited Astrid's blonde hair and Hiccup's emerald green eyes. Audrey, on the other hand, had Hiccup's auburn hair that she always tied back in a braid identical to her mother's and had Astrid's blue eyes. They were both dedicated students at the Berk Dragon Training Academy and, being the children of the first-ever Dragon Rider, knew more about dragons than all the other students combined.

Well, next to Zenna and Eret's kids. GyLa was proving to be every bit as knowledgeable as her mother when it came to dragons and how to heal injuries. As for her brothers…

'_BOOM!'_

Hiccup jumped up in surprise with a startled growl as a huge cloud of smoke belched out from one side of the Armory, which served as the workshop.

El sighed and watched as _Helga Jorgenson_, Snotlout and Heather's 13-year-old daughter, dash out of the workshop with a flask of some explosive chemical cocktail. "Don't tell my Mom I got this from her lab!" the mischievous girl shouted. "Nope," Audrey shook her head. "Totally ratting you out later," Stoick deadpanned. Helga merely scoffed and ran off before GyLa's brothers, _Jason_ _Tadashi and Hiro_, came running out.

"Helga! You are officially a _huge _pain in the neck!" Hiro yelled angrily, adjusting his soot-stained safety goggles on his head. "Aunt Heather will probably deal with her later, brother. Let's just try to reassemble our launcher again," Jason Tadashi sighed, absentmindedly twirling a wrench in his hands.

El had to smile at his two nephews. While GyLa looked like a miniature version of his big sister, Jason Tadashi and Hiro were identical twin brothers that looked like his Uncle Eret. The two boys looked even more alike back when they were still little. Almost everyone had a hard time telling the two apart unless they looked closely at the boys' eyes. Jason Tadashi, or JT as he was more called, had Zenna's deep violet eyes while Hiro had Eret's amber brown eye color. It wasn't until when the Lothbrok Twins turned ten did they decide to make things easier for everyone. At this time, JT had already developed a love for swimming and thought that shorter hair would make it easier for him to see underwater so he had his hair cut short. Hiro, on the other hand, decided to let his hair grow and even tied it back into a thick ponytail so he looked almost like a mini version of his father. Oddly enough, JT was the one that had gotten his father's accent while Hiro and GyLa had Zenna's accent. Whenever somebody asked Zenna or Eret why only one of their three children had acquired a different accent, they'd both just shrug and smile. But if there was one thing the boys had in common, it was tinkering and inventing all sorts of contraptions. Stoick often joined them and, together, those three could create almost anything from new weapons and defense systems to even their own version of Chief Hiccup's flight suit.

Then the Lothbrok Twins glanced over at El and momentarily forgot about Helga's prank. "Hey, El!" Hiro grinned at his uncle. "Helga caused another explosion in the workshop again?" El asked with a knowing smile. "It's the third time this week she's done that. If she tries to blow up the place again, Hiro and I are going to use our security system," JT said seriously. El laughed and, then, Stoick came forward with his sword. It was forged from the toughest Gronckle Iron and had the runes that spelt out, '_Blade of Night_' on the blade while the hilt was made to look like a Night Fury's head. El smiled, admiring Stoick's sharpening. This was what everyone called '_The Fury Blade_' and was made for him by Chief Hiccup, Eret and Gobber and given to him on his 15th birthday.

"Great work on sharpening as usual, Stoick. Hey, your Dad's summoning me to the Great Hall. Do you and Audrey have any idea why?" El asked the blonde-haired boy. Stoick shook his head. "Nope. All we know is that Mom and Dad have assembled the whole council of Dragon Masters," he replied. "Oh…wait, the Dragon Masters are involved too?" El asked, violet eyes widening. "Yeah. There's Mom, Dad, Dr. Zenna, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Heather, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Olga, Grandma Valka, Grandma Henna, Grandpa Edgar, Gothi…Oh! And Gustav's there as well," Audrey added.

El visibly paled and gulped. If all of the Dragon Masters of Berk were with the council…then it must involve him and Hiccup for sure.

"Holy Shields, I must be in trouble…" El mumbled worriedly. "Oh, don't always expect the worse, El. Maybe you're not in trouble," JT reassured him. "They're probably just gonna remind you not to go into Heather's lab without permission again," Hiro grinned mischievously. "But that was already two weeks ago!" El exclaimed almost exasperatedly. Stoick, Audrey and the Lothbrok Twins merely laughed.

Then Gobber exited the Armory and patted El on the shoulder. "Speaking of the council, I'm part of that. Mind if I join you?" the old blacksmith asked him. "Sure thing, Grandpa Gobber," El smiled. "You four keep an eye on the place. And Stoick, JT, Hiro, the Armory better not be on fire when I return," Gobber reminded the kids, paying close attention to JT, Hiro and Stoick.

"We make no promises," all three boys said in unison while Audrey sighed. Nodding, Gobber had El lead the way to the Great Hall. Opening the doors, Gobber stepped inside and quickly hobbled on over to the council while El and Hiccup lingered in the doorway.

El swallowed as he caught sight of his parents with his big sister and the rest of the council waiting for him. "You don't think we're in trouble, do you, bud?" he whispered to Hiccup. The young Night Fury, son of Toothless and Stryka, merely warbled and shrugged his wings. Sighing, and with his best friend at his side, El walked on over to the council.

Chief Hiccup stood in the very center and looked at El expectantly, waiting for him to speak. "Okay…whatever I did, I am sorry and I won't do it again. And, in my defense, Uncle Hiccup, I cannot control Buff, Gruff _and _Helga 24/7. I've tried…it didn't end well," El said, knowing that the adults respected him well enough to let him speak first.

Hiccup smiled at his 16-year-old nephew. "Don't worry, El. You're not in trouble," he reassured him. El let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Thor…So, what am I here for?" he asked, confused. "I think I should be the one to explain. If the Chief permits it, of course," Gustav said, stepping forward. "Permission granted, Gustav," Hiccup nodded.

Gustav Larson was now 32-years-old. Having become the leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy at 18, he had officially earned a place in the Dragon Riders' ranks as well as in the Dragon Masters Council. And everyone knew that in order to be a member of the special council, one must be a highly skilled and highly trained Dragon Rider and Dragon Trainer. Looking up, El could see the tapestry depicting Hiccup, Zenna, Astrid, Eret, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut as the founding members of the Dragon Masters Council.

Gustav then cleared his throat, making El focus on him. "As you know, El, the Berk Dragon Training Academy is where all young members of the tribe learn the ways of dragons. The fate of Berk lies in the next generation of Dragon Trainers and Dragon Riders if we are to continue spreading our message of peace between man and dragon all throughout the world. As much as I've enjoyed being the leader of the Academy for 14 years, I believe that it's time to have a new leader for the next generation. So I talked to the Chief and the whole council took a vote on it…"

Gustav then looked right into El's violet eyes and told him, "El, we want _you _to become the new leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy."

El felt his eyes widen to the size of plates and his jaw dropped open.

"Not bad on the dramatic reveal, Gustav…Not bad…" Snotlout remarked as the young Fiersome gaped at him and the rest of the council. El was still standing there, gaping like a fish, until Hiccup rolled his eyes and swatted him with his wing. "You…you're serious? Me?" El asked nervously. "Like Gustav said, El, we all took a vote. You're the unanimous choice to become the new head of the Academy," Heather told him, smiling. "B-but…I'm 16," El said. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about, love. Your sister was your age when she became leader," Henna told her youngest son gently. "Yeah, _co_-leader, with Uncle Hiccup…I-I can't manage the entire Academy all by myself!" El said worriedly. "You won't be alone, son. Me, your mother, Zenna and the rest of the council will help you learn the ropes," Edgar reassured him.

El still looked pretty unsure and asked, "Well…what about Stoick and Audrey? They're the Chief's kids so shouldn't they be the ones leading?"

"Stoick and Audrey are really brilliant, yes, but they're both still too young and they still haven't bonded with dragons of their own," Astrid told him gently. Hiccup then chose to speak next. "And, El, there's no doubt that you're one of the most experienced Dragon Riders on Berk. You and Hiccup have been able to do things that Toothless and I haven't even done yet, things that even your sister and Stryka haven't even tried. It only makes sense that you're the perfect choice to become leader of the Academy," he told his nephew. "Gee, Uncle Hiccup, that's really flattering but…" El trailed off, looking down at his boots, and heavily sighed.

Zenna went over to him and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "Okay, bro, tell big sister what's on your mind and why you're having second thoughts?" she asked softly. El looked up at Zenna and sighed. "It's just that…what if I'm not good enough?" he asked, loud enough for the council to hear.

"Now that's just ridiculous!" "A negative percent chance of that!" "Like that could ever happen!" "Highly unlikely." Olga, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut said before Valka and Gobber signaled them to be quiet. "El, dear, we all have faith in you. And my son's right. You're brilliant when it comes to dragons. There's no doubt about it," Valka reassured the young boy. "Sure, every now and then, you'll make a few mistakes but that's all part of learning, lad. Believe me, your Uncle Hiccup had to make a _lot _of mistakes to get where he is now," Gobber said jokingly, making Heather and Astrid laugh along with the rest of the council.

"Thank you, Gobber, for pointing that out," Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What we're all saying, El, is that you can do it. Even as a baby, all of us could see that you had the potential," Eret told his nephew, smiling proudly. "The potential for what?" El asked, confused. Zenna smiled and gently patted her little brother's head. "The potential to become someone great and who is a friend to all dragons. We know you have what it takes, El. _We believe in you_," she told him gently.

Letting the council's words sink in, El mulled it over for a bit. Finally, he looked at Gustav and nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best," he said, his family beaming with pride at him.

Gothi and Gustav then went over to him. Gustav took off his medallion, a silver one with the crest of the Berk Dragon Training Academy engraved on it, and handed it to Gothi who, in turn, placed it around El's neck. "When you wear that medallion, Elias II Stoick Fiersome, you carry the hopes of the new generation of Berk's Dragon Riders and Dragon Trainers. Do us proud, kid," Gustav told El and smiled at him. Smiling, El nodded and looked at the medallion around his neck.

He was now officially the new leader of the Berk Dragon Training Academy…

"I'll do you, Mama, Papa and big brother Eli proud, sis. I promise," El looked up at Zenna and grinned. Zenna smiled and gently kissed El's forehead. "You already have, El…You always will," Zenna smiled at him, feeling nothing but pride for her dear baby brother.

* * *

**Ta-da! Little El's not so little anymore and has become the new leader of the next generation of Dragon Riders :D**

**And, if you guys are somewhat confused on the names…here's a little list for y'all.**

**Hiccup – firstborn son of Toothless and Stryka. Named after Chief Hiccup and El's dragon**

**Stoick Finn Hofferson-Haddock (13) &amp; Audrey Hofferson Haddock (13) – Hiccup and Astrid's kids. Fraternal twins**

**Jason Tadahi Fiersome Lothbrok (14), Hiro Fiersome Lothbrok (14) &amp; Gyda Lagertha Fiersome Lothbrok (12) – Zenna and Eret's kids. JT and Hiro are identical twin brothers. How the brothers got their names…spoiler for a crossover in the future ;)**

**Helga Jorgenson (13) – Snotlout and Heather's daughter**

**Buffnut &amp; Gruffnut Thorston – fraternal twin sons of Ruffnut and Fishlegs**

**Emily Thorston (13) &amp; Matilda Thorston (12) – daughters of Tuffnut and Olga**

**Yes, I've already envisioned the next generation. Feel free to make any predictions about the kids. Who knows? I might make a story about them someday.**

**Until then…read and review and stay cool ;)**

**-GuardianDragon98**


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